Hikari
by GreatMarta
Summary: We all know about who Bunji's father was. But what do we know about his mother? Even Bunji himself knows nothing about her. But this is to change, as two Japanese pay visit to Bennetts and are about to solve the mistery
1. Chapter 1

,Hikari" by GreatMarta

Prologue: Darkness of despair

–I'm so sorry, Hideo... I.. I can't stay and rise him… with you.

–What are you talking about? Of course you'll rise him with me. We'll rise him together. You will be fine. You won't leave. You simply can't. –Hideo Sakura whispered to his wife, as he held her hand in his. The woman tried to smile. But it was so difficult. She was suffering. Suffering from two kinds of pain.

The first one was physical pain. A pain, that made her whole pale and sweaty. Slowly killing her since the delivery. Despite all the medicine and the efforts of the doctors.

The second one was even worse. It was the pain of knowing, she will never be there for her newborn son. She will never see him growing up, she won't be able to guide him, to tech him, to be a mother he could rely on. And the awareness of that hurt her like nothing else had ever hurt her before.

–I... want to... see him. –she pleased. Her husband stood up and went to the cradle, in which their baby lied. He picked the boy up, came back to his wife's bed and placed the child on her chest. Feeling her son close to her and seeing his face, she felt relieved. At least for a moment. –My son... –she whispered, caressing the boy's head gently. –My Bunjiro... I'm so sorry... I can't... stay with you... and your father... but remember... I love you... I may not be with you... but my heart will always do. –the baby moved on her chest in anxiety, feeling, that something bad was about to happen. His father had tears in his eyes. His wife was dying, and there was nothing he could do. He wasn't able to help her. For the first time in his life, he was absolutely defenseless. This was so unfair. They were supposed to be happy. Now, after she moved to his house, after they've got married and had their first child, their life was supposed to be like a fairy tale. But it turned into a Hollywood horror.

Baby Bunjiro started to cry. He couldn't stand the amount of sadness that was filling the room. –My poor child... –his mother whispered, pulling him closer. –My poor children...

–Children? –Hideo asked. In Japanese language, there was practically no difference between singular and plural. But his wife used the word ,two", when referring to the noun: child. This was surprising. They only had one child. Perhaps it's the illness. It's doesn't let her think soberly. So it's getting worse.

–Hideo. –the woman turned to her husband. –How could I... I didn't mean to... I was so afraid... Will she ever forgive me?

–Who, honey?

–Hikari... –she replied. Her own name. Was she asking, if she'll ever forgive herself? Certainly. She was loosing her senses. She was tired of pain. She was going to die. And she was feeling guilty because of that. This must be it.

–Hikari, it's not your fault. It is nobody's fault. Things happen. Things just... just bloody happen. Huh. –he didn't want her to see him crying. He didn't want her to suffer more. He moved closer to her and hugged her, along with their baby. His family. His most precious people. This was so unfair.

–Hideo... It's not... not me... my... my... –but she wasn't allowed to finish the sentence. She coughed hardly, and blood came from her mouth. Baby Bunjiro screamed, as some spots of blood landed on him. Hideo held his wife and son tighter. –Hideo –she made it to say –Take care of... our little Bunjiro... be good... for him... COUGH!

–I promise I will, Hikari, I will. –said Hideo through tears. This was just too much for him.

–Hideo... Bunjiro... Hikari... love you... all –those were the last words Hikari Sakura said, before her vision turned black and her soul begun to leave the body. Nothing more hurt her. Nothing more scared her. There was nothing at all. She couldn't hear her husband yelling her name through tears. She couldn't hear her son crying. And she couldn't hear a silent cry of a child, that lived miles away. That child didn't know about Hikari's death. That child didn't know about Hideo and Bunjiro's grief. There wasn't much that child could know. But it surely knew one thing: Hikari was lost and will never return.


	2. Chapter 2

,Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 1: Just a nightmare

–Hideo… Take care of... our little Bunjiro... be good... for him... COUGH!

,What! No, mother!"

–I promise I will, Hikari, I will.

,Father, don't let her! Don't let go!"

–Hideo... Bunjiro... Hikari... love you... all

,Mother, please! Don't go!"

–HIKARI!

,MOTHER!"

–WHAAAAHHH!

BUMS!

Bunjiro Bennett hit the floor.

Bunjiro Bennett opened his eyes, shaked rapidly and gasped with fear.

Bunjiro Bennett was whole sweaty. Sweaty and scared. But why was he? He looked around. He was in his room. The room he knew so well and loved. Among his belongings, in his house. He had nothing to fear.

Yet, he was afraid. He had a dream. A nightmare. But what was it about? What happened? Was he screaming,,Mother"?. But his mother was fine. Was he seeing his father? The natural one was long time dead. No, take that back: he disappeared. He disappeared, but was still alive. Surely. And the adoptive father? Everything was okay with him. At least it was today. No, take that back, yesterday. It was five o'clock in the morning.

Bunjiro could hear lots of rushed steps. He must've been really loud, if everybody woke up because of him.

The first one to dash into his room was his mother. The father entered right after her. In the next second, his three sibling were here too.

This made Bunjiro sure, that his whole family is alright.

–Bunji! What's wrong? –asked his mother, kneeling next to him.

–I… nightmare… –he explained. His brother Eric sighed.

–Here we go again. Do you really have to eat so much before going to sleep? –he asked with irritation. He hated being woke up at such early hours, especially on Saturdays.

Eating to much before going to sleep. That was the usual reason for Bunji's nightmares. He always had nightmares after eating too much before going to sleep. But he couldn't recall eating more than usual today. No, yesterday. Whatever. He couldn't even remember his nightmare clearly. But it was so unusual. Or was it just a feeling? Or did it really matter now? No. It was just a nightmare. Just a result of eating to much before going to sleep. And nothing really happened. Last time, when Bunji had a nightmare, he fought in his sleep and made a hole in the wall. Today, he simply fell from his bed. It was nothing serious. There was nothing to worry about. Surely.

–I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. –he apologized to his family. Nobody likes to be waked up at five o'clock in the morning. Especially on Saturdays.

–Oh, it's nothing really. Fortunately, it's Saturday and we don't have to get up early. We'll still be able to get enough sleep. –assured his father.

–Yeah, but you'd better start to control yourself. Otherwise, we'll have to tie you to your bed. –warned his sister Meg.

–I think giving him sleep drops could be a better solution. –stated his eldest brother JD, as always trying to solve the problem through the science.

–Okay, everybody. Back to sleep. We all deserve a few more hours of rest before that trip to aqua park. You don't want to faint in the pool, do you? –his mother drove everybody's attention away from his case. Right, they were planning to go to an aqua park today and have some fun. They needed to rest before that. Undoubtly.

Admitting their mother is right, the children returned to their rooms. Bunji crawled back into his bed. This time he shouldn't have nightmares.

–You'll be fine now, right, Bunji? –his mother asked for sure. He nodded.

–Right. I rather will. –he smiled. She kissed him on the forehead, and left the room, along with her husband.

Bunji closed his eyes and tried to sleep again. The perspective of good time he'll have today in the aqua park washed the bad memories of his nightmare away. He was just fine.

Little did he know, that his plans for today were to be changed drastically. But how could he know, if even the people, who were to change them, didn't? In a flying vehicle, some miles away from the coast, a young woman woke up. She looked around, and everything was telling her, that there is no chance of avoiding, what was going to happen today. She didn't want it. But she had no choice.

And unlike Bunji, she wasn't able to forget her nightmare. The nightmare, that was happening in the reality.


	3. Chapter 3

,Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 2: Ane-ue

–Wow, dad, congratulations! –said Eric during the breakfast.

–Congratulations of what, son? –asked Jack. It was rare for his children to congratulate him because of the food.

–Of being able to make normal pancakes. –the blonde boy smirked.

–Eric's right, they don't even smell like a fish! –Bunji agreed with his brother. The nightmare of today's night was now just a memory, and it didn't matter.

Jack's face showed a bit of anger. Why do they always have to make jokes about the food he makes? He put his heart into it, he does his best, and what does he get? His creations are the number one thing to be joked about in this house.

But he was used to that, so he didn't complain. Moreover now, he couldn't complain, because he noticed a suspicious sound. His bionic hearing was telling him, that some helicopter-like object was flying in the direction of his house. And it wasn't a normal helicopter.

–Jack? Is something wrong? –asked his wife. He immediately informed the family about what he's heard.

–Listen, everybody. There's some flying vehicle getting close to our house.

–Scarab? –asked Eric.

–No, it's different. Some helicopter, but bigger.

–Well, maybe it's just flying by? –suggested Meg.

–Maybe. But we have to be aware. –decided her father. Everybody agreed with him. They finished their pancakes quickly and got out of the house.

Jack was right. There was a vehicle arriving from the side of the sea. And it was clearly going to land somewhere near the Bennetts' house.

The vehicle reminded of a helicopter and of a trailer. It was something between. It had four wheels and two propellers. It was big enough to carry four people.

The vehicle landed peacefully. It didn't seem to have any bad intentions, but the Bennetts remained careful.

The door of the heli-trailer opened. Two people came out: a man in his forties and a woman, who could be 18, up to 20 years old. Both were Japanese. The man seemed serious and elegant. His hair was short and black, getting gray at the sides. He was dressed smart, in a jacket and black trousers. The woman also had black hair, middle long and shiny. Very much like Bunji's. She had normal clothes: a simple purple shirt and gray shorts. She looked, as if she was angry about something.

Seeing that their guests are rather normal the Bennetts came closer, to greet them.

–Good morning. How can we help you? –asked Jack. The man scanned him and his family carefully and introduced himself.

–Ohayo gozaimasu. I am Tsutomu Mazaki. Andeh dis (he pointed at the woman) iseh my… umh… dau-teh, Hikari. –he said. His accent left no doubts of his nationality. Having difficulties with pronouncing dense groups of consonants was typical for Japanese.

–Just call me Kari. –said the woman. Her accent and pronunciation was far better than her father's. She must've practiced speaking English a lot.

–We areh lookin for Bunjiro Sakura. –finished Tsutomu. So they're looking for Bunji. But why? And they referred to him as ,Bunjiro Sakura". His fathers name. What may this mean? Maybe they're somehow connected to him? Maybe they know something about him? Or maybe even… even it's rather impossible… Hideo was found?

Bunji stepped forwards.

–Bunji is me. –he announced. The guests scanned him correctly. The man with interest, the woman with some kind of sorrow and anger. But why was she angry? Bunji did nothing to her. He have never seen her before. Yet, she seemed somehow familiar to him. Right, both were typical Japanese, but Bunji knew it was more than that. But what?

–We needeh to talk to yoo. –Mr. Mazaki told him. They want to talk to him. What about? Hoping it's nothing serious, although it seemed so, the Bennett family invited their guests into the salon.

As everybody sat on sofas, Mr. Mazaki continued.

–My Engelisheh is not too good. She (points Hikari) will translate.

–Oto-san, Onegai… –the woman started, but her father stopped her.

–Do what I tell you to, musume. –he said strictly. The woman nodded.

–Hai, oto-san.

–Oto-san means father, when talking directly to your own father. –Bunji told his family.

–That we could figure out. –noticed Eric.

–And musume means daughter. –added Bunji for formality.

–When talking directly to a daughter? –asked JD.

–No, just daughter in general. –explained Bunji.

Tsutomu started speaking something in Japanese, with the first word being the name of Bunjiro. Hikari sighed and translated.

–So, Bunjiro, tell us about your mother and father. –about mother and father? Not so serious topic, but good to break the first ice.

–Okay then. My parents are cool. My mom (points at Helen) is a very…

Tsutomu interrupted him, speaking something in Japanese. From the tone it seemed, that it wasn't what he meant.

–No, Bunjiro. Your natural parents. –and Kari's translation proved that Bunji really took the question wrong. His natural parents. Right, he should've figured it out. Afterall, the guests referred to him as of ,Bunjiro Sakura", not ,Bunjiro Bennett".

But what could he tell them about his natural parents? He didn't know very much himself. At first, he hoped that the Mazakis might have some information on his family for him. It would be so great to learn to know at least the name of his natural mother. Maybe someday…

–My natural father was… IS Hideo Sakura. He disappeared almost 11 years ago, during a journey to The Dragon Island. He was a martial arts master and teacher. A very good one. Besides that… –Bunji wanted to add a few interesting in his opinion details, like stories from his life with his father. He didn't remember very much, but that could enrich the description. Tsutomu however was just interested in bare facts, and asked Bunji to speak about the mother now.

–I only know, that my natural mother died shortly after giving birth to me. Nothing more. –said Bunji sadly. The Japanese man pulled something from his pocket and placed it on the table, in front of Bunji.

Bunji picked it up and the rest of his family came closer to see it. It was a photo. In the picture, there was a young Japanese woman. She had long, shiny black hair and big brown eyes, that seemed to sparkle for all the time. Bunji could not draw his eyes away from her. Could it be his natural mother? This question also appeared in the heads of the rest of the Bennetts. Everything that concerned Bunji concerned them as well. He was their brother and son, and if the woman in the picture was his mother and the two Japanese will have some information on her, then they will celebrate it with him. Now, after JD found his sister, it would be so wonderful for Bunji to learn something about his family. And maybe even…? Tsutomu's daughter looked very similar to the woman in the picture. Could she possibly be related to Bunji as well?

Assuming, that the family was already out of the first shock, Tsutomu continued. His next words were addressed to Bunji only, but Hikari translated it anyway (I assume Bunji can speak Japanese. It would be an embarrassment if he couldn't).

–Bunjiro, this iseh your mother. –it was now confirmed. His mother. His natural mother. She was so pretty. She seemed so gentle. Tons of questions grew Bunji's head. There was so much he wanted to know. He needed to know. He needed to know about this woman, who gave birth to him and who he never had a chance to meet.

–Do you have any questions? –that was the question from Tsutomu Bunji was waiting for.

–What kind of person was she? –he asked. His whole family paid attention. Tsutomu's reply was peaceful and calm. But to the Bennetts' utter amazement, Hikari's translation was filled with wrath.

–She was a bitch. –the woman almost shouted. Everybody's eyes winded. Only Tsutomu remained calm.

–That iseh no whah I said. –he assured.

–But that is the truth! She was a bitch! A darn, selfish, cowardly, heartless, with no sense of honor or responsibility, bitch! And of all the people, you should know it the best, oto-san! –Hikari was raging with hatred for Bunji's mother, making her wrath burn her from the inside and frighten everybody else. She clearly had a deep grudge towards her. But why? What must've that poor woman do to this one to deserve such opinion? This scared especially Bunji.

Tsutomu waited patiently for his daughter to calm down a bit and spoke to Bunji again. This time, he used English, assuming that his translator will never be able to say, what he was going to say.

–She waseh a very sensitive person. A gentle womah, takin everything to heart. A type of a romantic, a dreamer. One, that wouldeh never hurt a fly.

–Liar. –mumblem Hikari.

–She waseh easy to be hurt, but thereh also waseh a great power in heh. She, howevereh, could not see that power in heselfe and not belief in heselfe. But she wouldeh see power in everybody else, andeh make them belief in themselfes. Even when she had bad times, she wouldeh never complain. She wouldeh always think that there areh others , that have worse than she has. A kideh, a really nice womah. Only to kindehhearted. –during Tsutomu's speech, Hikari just sat with crossed arms, looking, as if every single good word about Bunji's mother was ripping her apart. That gave doubts about the possible relationship between the two women. That would be strange to hate an own relative this much.

Now Bunji had an image of his mother is his head. He knew her character and nature. He felt, as if Tsutomu gave him the most precious gift ever. He treasured this knowledge. The knowledge of his origins.

–What was her name? –was the next question Bunji asked. This one should've been the first one. The name. The most important thing. He was so curious of it. And trying to guess it in his head. Maybe Izumi, Miyuki, Ai. That would fit her.

–Hikari. –was Mr. Mazaki's answer.

–Light. –was Hikari Mazaki's translation.

The first thing that hit Bunji, is that both his mothers had a name, that meant ,light". A chance?

The second thing, and with far greater impact was that, that his mother had the same name, as Tsutomu's daughter. A chance? He compared her with the woman on the picture, this time correctly. The same eyes, the same nose, the same facial shapes. Such striking similarities must mean something. No other way.

Suddenly, an idea. Tsutomu spoke of Bunji's mother, as if he knew her very well. Hikari called her a bitch, and said that of all the people, her father should know it the best. The elements were fitting together. And it seemed everybody realized it.

Bunji turned to Hikari with hope. He's finally found a living relative.

–Does this mean… that you are my…

–No, I'm not! –revolted the woman.

–Yes, she iseh your sisteh. –conformed her father.

–HALF-sister! –drawled Hikari, putting all her might into the word ,half".

–Of that, we can not be sure. –announced Tsutomu. Hikari's eyes winded, and her whole wrath was replaced by surprise. Her father went on with explaining, but his words were addressed to Bunji.

–Your motheh waseh with me before she mareed your fatheh. One deh, when your sisteh waseh very young, your motheh left us, leavin a noteh, that she met anotheh man, andeh waseh startin a new life. She did not take Hikari, she wanteh me to keep heh. Some time ago, I fond out, that I am barren. And it is very possible, that I already waseh, maybe even since the start. I beliefeh, that she wouldeh not leave the child to me, if it was not mine. But now I know, that it is possible, that you and Hikari areh from one fatheh. –as Tsutomu spoke, Hikari's face went pale, was breathing hard, and looked, as if she was about to faint. When her father finished his story, she grabbed his arm and started saying something in Japanese, most possibly,Father, it can't be true! Please tell me it's not true!", almost crying. Even now, Mr. Mazaki didn't look at his daughter.

–That iseh to be checked, with the Deh-en-eh test. To think, that for so many years, I haveh been rising a child not of my own… I haveh a request to yoo. –this time, he turned to Jack. Bunji's adoptive father was grateful to this man for bringing his some information of his mother, but the way he treated his poor daughter left a scar on his opinion about him.

–Yes, Mr. Mazaki?

–I haveh some bees-ness to do heer. And I wouldeh be grateful, if yoo wouldeh let Hikari stay with yoo, until I return.

–Nani! –Hikari yelled.

–I haveh important bees-ness to do. I can not take yoo with me. –her father explained, still not even giving her a look.

–I ain't staying with those gaijins!

–I will be back on evening. Do you haveh something against? –this question to was addressed to the Bennetts, not Hikari.

–I have something against! –revolted the woman, angry that she's being ignored for all the time. Jack and Helen exchanged looks. They had a tendency to take care of such poor children. And if this woman was Bunji's sister, then they had nothing against her. Besides, it was clear that she needed support, and that she couldn't receive from her father. Poor thing.

–Of course, Hikari can stay with us. This will be a great opportunity for her and Bunji to get to know each other better. –decided Helen.

–Thank yoo. –with that, Mr. Mazaki stood up and headed towards exit. Hikari however came in between him and the door, yelling at him with irritation. Tsutomu waited patiently till she's finished. When she was, and was piercing him with angry sight, he jus told her one thing.

–Yoo will do what I tell yoo to do. Andeh no objections. –in next turn, he gently brushed her aside and left the room.

For the next two minutes, which Tsutomu needed to go back to his vehicle, bring Hikari's bag into the house, go back to the vehicle and ride away, it was silent. Silence filled the air. Nobody knew, what to say.

Suddenly, Hikari shouted, putting her whole might into that shout.

–KUSO! –with that, she hit the wall. This encouraged the Bennetts to talk.

–I can't believe this. Not only I learned about my natural mother, I have a sister. That's so great. –Bunji was very excited about Hikari.

–What you should be unable to believe is the way that guy treats her. –Jack noticed.

–Could you see that? He wasn't even looking at her, when telling that he may not be her natural father. Poor girl, she must be in a real depression. –Helen felt pity for Hikari.

–And that coldness in his voice,You will do, what I tell you to do." Who does he thinks he is? He acted, as if she was an air. That's humiliating. –Meg agreed with her mother.

–And it seems that he cares more for if she's his natural daughter or not than for what she feels. I bet he didn't want to have a daughter at all. –added Eric.

–She may be difficult to deal with. She hates her mother, and she clearly hates Bunji as well. I hope we won't damage her psychic more than it already is. –hoped JD.

–Leave this to me. I am going to make her change her mind about me and our mother. –assured Bunji.

–Be careful of what you say. One wrong word may hurt her deeply and make her hate you even more. –JD warned his brother.

–Chill out, I'll be fine. –with that, Bunji started the action. He came to his sister with a big smile. She didn't remove wrath from her sight.

–So… Do you want me to call you ,Ane-ue" or ,One-san"? –Bunji asked. As he explained later on, both meant ,elder sister" when talking directly to your own elder sister.

–I don't want you to talk to me. And don't you even think that I am going to share the money that bitch left with you!

–Hey, I don't want your money or anything. I just want you to understand, that I love you and am happy, that you are my sister.

–HALF-sister. And there is no way I could ever love a half-brother.

–Look: JD and I are adopted. We are not related by blood to Meg and Eric. But what does it matter? We are siblings. And their parents are our parents. They took us in. Even though we were not their children, they cared for us. We all are a family. We love each other. All for one, and one for all. The blood-relationship doesn't matter. And so, even if you are not my natural sister, I love you. I want you to know that. –what Bunji said was smart and made sense. It was a truth, that the Bennett family knew well. But it seems Hikari didn't.

–I will never love anybody, who has something to do with that bitch. –was her final word.

–Oh well. Can we be friends then? –Bunji kept on trying. The woman sighed.

–This is going to be a very annoying day. –she stated.

–It doesn't necessary have to be, Hikari. –Helen decided to back Bunji up.

–KARI! Just KARI. This the only thing I will never forgive oto-san, that he named me after that bitch.

–Alright then, Kari. Do you happen to have a swimming suit by any chance?

–Yes, and why?

–We were planning to go to an aqua park today. I thought, that maybe you would like to go with us? –the rest of the family agreed, that this is an excellent idea. Being in minority, Hikari decided to give up.

–But remember: I am only doing this, because oto-san told me to. –she said.

–Okay then. And now, Kari-ane, I will show you the house. –decided Bunji. His sister sighed and agreed. It seemed that her sources of anger need the time to rest. And good then. Bunji was sure: before her father comes back, Hikari and him will be real kyodai. Real siblings. And there was nothing that could make him doubt it.


	4. Chapter 4

,Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 4: The reason

Silence filled the car, as it drove peacefully, carrying an extra person on the board. Bunji's newfound sister wasn't showing any anger anymore, but it still felt as if there was an invisible wall between her and the Bennett family. The girl sat still by the window and focused on enjoying the view, but from her expression it was easy to tell, that she feels sort of sad because of the whole situation.

Bunji, on the other hand, was very excited. He made befriending Hikari his sole purpose for the day, and, as we all know, if Bunji decided on something, he was sure to achieve it.

Bunji made his first try, trying to speak to his sister with their mother tongue: Japanese. She turned to him, but remained rather upset. Assuming this was his first success on the path to the victory, Bunji said a few more words. The rest of the family couldn't tell of what he's saying, part of fact he was using their names (propably explaining, who is who and how), but perhaps it was better this way. It gave the siblings a chance to get a little privacy. Maybe Kari will feel more relaxed, knowing they won't understand.

"Don't speak Japanese. Your accent is terrible." Kari reprimanded her brother harshly. Now it's gotten hurtful. It's true that living in America had a huge influence on the way Bunji spoke his original language, and the circumstances weakened his pronunciation and vocabulary, but he treasured Japanese and did everything in his might not to forget it. It was a part of him, a part of his past and culture. It was cruel to tell him, that his efforts don't leave the right result. Too cruel.

"Look who's saying. When you were talking to your father, you used ,boku" to refer to yourself. It's a form that only men use." the karate expert paid his debt immediately. He didn't mean to be impolite to his sister, but she hurt him and he needed her to know that. This made Kari a little surprised at first, but after a few seconds she admitted her brother was right.

"I know. But I'm just too used to it."

"What do you mean used to it? Don't tell me you always refer to yourself as if you were a man." Bunji was amazed at this. The rest of the family paid attention. The talk was starting to get interesting. And perhaps would lead to some problems Kari has, and they may be able to help.

"When I was a kid, all of my friends were boys. All of them were using ,boku" to refer to themselves. So, I just started to use it to, to integrate with them. It seemed like the most normal thing to do." she explained.

"But you are a girl! Don't tell me everybody was okay with you using a male form for ,I", cause I won't believe it!" Bunji went into a deep amazement. Kari sighed.

"Until I turned 12, everybody kept on confusing me for a boy." she informed. Everybody's jaws dropped. Okay, it would be a lie to say that Hikari was a complete beauty, but she wasn't ugly either. She was a quite pretty girl, only a little not fended for herself. But clearly a girl.

"Why was that? You don't look like a boy." asked Helen concerned. She especially was sensitive towards somebody else's problems.

"Not anymore. But little kids tell the gender from the clothes and the way a child speaks and acts. I never wore dresses, I always had short hair, and for most of time behaved like a boy. At first, I was trying to make friends with the other girls, but the other girls didn't like me. And I didn't like them either. I quickly understood, that my place is with the boys. With them, I could play football, climb trees, draw graffiti on the walls, read shonen manga we bought together and pretend I am as powerful as my favourite characters. Yeah. Sighs. It was fun those days." Now it was clear, what was Kari's problem. She was a woman, but liked typical boyish stuff. So that's why the other girls didn't want to play with her. Well, nothing very suspicious, since she was raised by a man only. But it can't be that bad. A gender is a gender. Nothing can change it. Kari surely has her feminine side.

"Hmh… it is very good that you had friends, who would play with you. They must've been very nice boys. To let you join their games, when the other girls rejected you." Jack said. At first he wanted to say,They let you join their games, even though you are a girl", but he thought that it may be slightly impolite.

"Those boys… they only let me play with them, because they were thinking that I am a boy." sighed Kari sadly, washing Jack's idea of Japanese boys being non chauvinist away.

"What? But… okay, even if you looked like a boy, they could've told your gender from your name for example." for Eric, it was unbelievable that a girl can pretend to be a boy within a group and nobody will notice for a longer time period. Boys aren't that stupid, are they?

"Hikari can work as a boy's name too. Those boys were sure that I am a boy, and I didn't tell them I am not."

"You mean you were okay with lying to your friends?"

"It was fun for me to pretend to be a boy. Besides, my father told me it is very good that they think I am a boy, because that way they would treat me as an equal to themselves. He also said, that if they knew I am a girl, they wouldn't want to play with me. And I didn't want to be alone."

"So… How did the story end?" Bunji asked.

"And how was it supposed to end? Sighs… Okay… If I already told you this much… Whatever. One day, my so called friends and I spotted a boy, that was new in the neighborhood. He had pink clothes, and just because of that, all of the boys started to make fun of him. He cried and panicked, trying to run away, but the others surrounded him. It was so cruel. It reminded me of how the other girls were making fun of me, for the same reason: being different. I objected and defended the boy in pink. The other boys were surprised and said it is stupid to protect such a trash, and he should be playing with the girls, since he is as weak and cowardly as they are. That moment, I told them the truth about my gender. They didn't want to believe. But as soon as they did believe, they didn't wan to see me ever again. In the end, my father was right: as soon as they learned of my gender, they rejected me. And I thought… I hoped I do mean something for them. Sighs… But nevermind. It's past." Kari's story was sad and touching. And was a clear reason for she was so harsh. The life taught her, that she needed to be strong. And the fact the boys she believed were her friends rejected her for being a girl must've had a huge influence on her psychic. Perhaps that's why she didn't trust strangers.

"And the boy in pink?" Bunji asked, hoping to draw his sister's attention away from the painful memory.

"He was very thankful for what I've done for him. He even asked me if I wanted to marry him when we grow up. Since then, we've been together. He's the only friend I have." Kari replied. Good. At last she had one true friend.

"And how old are you, Hikari?" Helen asked, ending the topic of boys and girls.

"Kuso datebayo! Menuinu-no Namae, sore-ga daikirai gozaimasu!"

"I'm sorry, I forgot you hate that name." Helen tried to apologize, seeing how furious the girl was to be called with her mother's name.

"Kuso! Why do they had to name me after that bitch?! I just don't get it!"

"Nee-san, why do you hate Ka-chan so much?" Bunji asked. For him it was at least weird, that somebody can hate his/her own mother so much. To hate even the name. As if their mother killed the rest of the family in front of her. Or worse.

"As you know, or maybe you don't know, since you're growing up in the States, where it is the most important to be the best in everything and keep on showing your individualism all around, for a Japanese, it is the most important to play his or her role in the society, family, company, and so on. And what the old bitch do? She gave her own child up, just to secure herself future."

"Your mother must've decided, that it is the best for you to stay with your father." Jack submitted.

"The best for me? Ie. She was thinking of herself only. She was thinking,Oh my God, if my new boyfriend knows I had a child with another man, he will dump me, so I have to get rid of my firstborn daughter, so I could start my new life freely, and be safe, for the price of giving my own child away." That's what she was thinking, no less."

"How could you know?"

"Because one day, when I was looking for papers to draw on, in my father's office, I found a letter that bitch left when she was leaving. It was something like this,Dear Tsutomu, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I met my true love and I'm starting a new life with him. I'm leaving Hikari with you. Please, don't look for me." Now you get it,I'm leaving Hikari with you, but don't look for me". You can have the kid, but let me live my own life. I was a price. An insurance, that my father won't be trying to get her back. She left me on his mercy, just the way a mother bird leaves her eggs at the mercy of the predator, when he finds the nest, so she could fly away and save herself! That's what she did! So don't you fucking tell me I have no reasons to hate her, cause I fucking do! My own mother treated me like a thing! She was never there for me! I hate her! And I hate everything that has something to do with her! And especially, I hate you!" she yelled, pointing her finger at Bunji, who froze with fear. Everybody held breath. Kari nailed her brother with a piercing gaze. How much sorrow in her eyes. How much…

_Sob…sob…_

"_Huh? What is that?"_

"_Ka-chan…"_

"_A girl?"_

_Bunji saw darkness. And within it, a child. A little girl. Crying alone. Whipping her tears with a sleeve of a blouse. _

"_Nande, Ka-chan? Why did you go away?" _

"_Nee-san."_

_So it was her. It was Kari. But so much younger._

"_Am I… reading her memories?" _

"_All the other girls… have mommies… ugh…"_

"_Shh… Don't cry" Bunji walked towards the girl and kneeled by her side "I'm there for you. And Ka-chan is there too. We just… can't see her" _

_The girl rises her head. She is looking at him. He smiles at her. _

And he sees the face of her older self in front of him, as confused as he is.

"Hey, are you two alright?" Eric asked. Both Japanese siblings seemed, as if they just woke up from a dream. Was he seeing her memories? If yes, then could she be seeing his memories too?

"Huh? Yeah, We're fine" Bunji replied and looked at his sister again. She was looking at him too. So she saw something. But what? And was is similar to what he saw?

"Yeah… Daijobu" agreed Kari. Okay. Pretend nothing happened. You'll ask Her later. Or maybe not. Depends on her level of anger.

"Ninety" she spoke suddenly.

"Huh?"

"You asked my age. Ninety." She stated. But noticing the surprise on the Bennetts' faces, she slapped herself. "Kuso. I always mistake ten and teen."

"Your English is good." JD cheered her up.

"Not as good as it seems, but at least I have the right pronunciation." She answered.

"I have an idea" Meg used her chance "How bout we take Bunji's sister shopping?"

"Shopping?" this shocked Kari.

"That's right! We'll get you some nice dresses, then perhaps visit a hairdresser, get you a slight make up, I see you also need vaxing, and overall, we're gonna make you so gorgeous, that your father's jaw will drop when he sees you!" she exclaimed, planning a whole set of operations she could put the Japanese girl through. Miss Mazaki herself seemed a bit scared, but remained steady.

"That's a great idea, Meg!" Bunji agreed "Nee-san's gonna love it, right, Nee-san?"

"Umh… " Kari decided not to object, at least for now. This family was crazy "I have one question"

"Which is?"

"What the hell is make up?"

Eyes of sockets times 6

"What? Hell is not a bad word"

"Sighs… " Meg waved her head in disbelief "We've got a long way to go"

NOTE:

Sorry so long, I'm running out of writing force.

Kari's confusing ten and teen comes from my own habit )not only mine, lots of people do so) of confusing German zehn and zig. That's very common here.

This story has a bigger intrigue on the go, mostly because of Tsutomu, but I don't know if I can make it. Dół formularza


	5. Chapter 5

,Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 5: Sparks on the water

Stretching across over 50 acres of land and sporting 36 slides and attractions, Raging Waters is one of the largest water parks in California. Highlights of the park include the Dragon's Den, a tube ride that sends guests circling around a 35-foot bowl over watched by a mist-breathing dragon, Dropout, a seven-story vertical drop slide, High Extreme, a massive two-person tube ride, Neptune's Fury, a four-person raft ride with a 60-foot drop through the dark, and Thunder Rapids, a large family raft ride. For the younger guests, Raging Waters also features a variety of kiddy attractions including Splash Island Adventure, an interactive play area, Volcano Fantasea, a collection of small slides, and Kid's Kingdom, a large water playground.

On sunny days like this one, all of those attracted hordes of people, hungry for entertainment. Groups of teenagers, families with kids, couples, everybody could find something for himself or herself. Hikari Mazaki was no exception. However, her "something" would turn out to be sitting quietly in the shadow of a palm tree, much to her brother's disappointment.

"Come on, Kari-ane!" Bunji emerged from the nearby Activity Pool "We're all waiting for you!" by "we", he meant himself and his siblings. They separated from their parents right at the very beginning, as teens play with teens and adults with adults.

"I'm fine where I am, thank you!" the girl replied, clearly letting her brother know, that she wants to be left in peace.

"But you're missing all the fun!" Eric decided to support Bunji "There's so much to do here! Tell us what kind of slide would you like to try out and we'll go there together!"

"You guys go to the slides if you want, I want to stay here" Kari insisted. Her anti social attitude seemed like a really tough challenge for the Bennett kids. They sincerely wanted to earn her trust and make her feel like home, but she was being more than difficult.

"There is no such option" Meg protested "You are our guest and we're not leaving you alone. We are just too well mannered, you see" with that, she send the Japanese girl a wide smile. Kari seemed to realize she won't free herself from her hosts' influence that easy. For a moment, she even seemed to actually be considering giving up. But, in the end, she remained in the same place.

"It's okay. I won't tell your parents. Go and don't worry about me" she told them. The siblings sighed in frustration.

"This is getting annoying" Eric whispered "That girl seems un-convince-able"

"We can't give up" JD said "She may pretend she doesn't want our company, but she is in fact very lonely. If we leave her now, she'll feel betrayed and hurt"

"You think she's pretending? I'd say she means it" Bunji was surprised.

"Your sister is a very proud person, Bunji" JD explained to him "Moreover, she thinks she must act though and strong. According to her, teaming up with a bunch of strangers like us is weakness, and she cannot allow it. If we want to get to her, we must act wisely"

"So your suggestion is…?"

"We go to some slide. We take her with, but let her wait for us near the slide. That way, we'll reach a compromise. She'll know we respect her will of not playing with us and we'll get to play without worrying about her. With a bit of luck, she'll decide to join us, seeing how much fun we're having"

"I have a feeling your plan won't work" Eric was unconvinced.

"I have a better plan" Bunji said "I grab her arms, one of you grab her legs and we throw her into the pool"

"Oh, great plan, provided you want her to hate you for life" Meg said with irony.

"What?" Bunji felt offended "I am a man of actions, not words! And we already learned that words don't work on her! Even if she's my sister, I'm not letting her spoil us all the fun! There must be some justice!"

"Hey, princess! Where have you been during my entire life?" a loud, joyful question caught the siblings' attention, as it came from the same direction they left Kari at. They turned. The Japanese girl has already jumped to her feet. Right next to her, there stood a boy around their age, with a posture similar to Bunji's. His skin was dark, in a slightly golden shade. His head was bare, apart from one line of long, raven hair right in the middle of it. He had narrow, sparkling eyes, almost as dark as coal. All of those features remained in contrast to the wide, daring smile of perfectly snow-white teeth.

The sudden turn in events made Bunji's heart soar. The entertainment program has just been updated!

"I can't believe it" he whispered to his brothers and sister, as excitement consumed him "It's Sparky the Lady-killer!"

"What?" Eric asked "That guy from your class who got turned down by every single girl he tried to pick up since he was six?"

"Exactly!" Bunji confirmed, happy beyond reason "Oh man, I can't wait to see what Kari-ane does to him!" he giggled, barely able to stay still. His sister was looking at the dark-skinned stranger with shock, not even sure if what he said was meant to her. And if it was, did she get it right?

Instantly, the girl got a grip of herself.

"I've been hiding from you, you baka()!" she shouted, ready to fight the intruder off. So far, the smile didn't leave the boy's face.

"Well sorry you're so extraordinary beautiful that I had to talk to you, even with the most stupid text I could come up with" he gave her his hand to shake "I'm Sparky. What's your name?"

"If you're Sparky, then I'm the fire-fighter! Get outta my sight before I'm out of patience!" she yelled at him, and meanwhile, her brother had a hard time silencing his laughter. This was pure gold!

The other Bennett kids weren't sure which side to take. The scene was indeed a funny one, but having fun at the expense of their guest and schoolmate didn't seem at all alright. But, in the end, Sparky was used to being turned down, and if Kari needed to exhale, then why not on him instead of them? Nobody will get hurt.

Sparky decided to take Kari's comment as a joke.

"You're a very funny girl. I like it"

"Well you're a very un-funny guy and I don't like you at all!"

"Well, if you got to know me a little better, you'd see I'm really cute, charming and caring" with that, the boy took a step closer to Kari. The girl took a step back, holding her arms in front of herself, as if trying to prevent Sparky from coming any closer "And I happen to know a great place for getting to know each other better. Whatcha say you and I take a ride at the Dragon's Den? I bet you'd love it"

"And I bet you're not gonna get me" in the act of desperation, miss Mazaki jumped aside and held her left arm in front of herself "I'm setting my watch for one minute. When the time is over, it will beep. If you don't catch me until then, you'll stop bothering me. If you do catch me, we'll go to that goddamned Dragon's Den. Are you up to it?" she hissed at him, making the most serious expression. At this point, the tension rose rapidly.

"Should we interfere?" JD, being the oldest and the most responsible of the four young Bennetts, had doubts concerning their guests safety.

"Are you joking? That's the best part!" Bunji told him, curious of how will the bet turn out. He knew Sparky had quite a good amount of energy to use, but had no idea of how fast could his sister run. Could she be fast enough to win with Sparky? If she came up with something like this, she must have great confidence in her legs. Or she's just desperate. Either way, he'll enjoy watching the two of them compete.

Sparky was surprised at Kari's proposition, but the surprise was a positive one. He too showed a great excitement.

"Am I up to it? Wow, hell yeah I am!" he declared. Kari started setting her watch.

"There's no way she's winning this" Eric decided. Bunji's sister didn't seem like a strong person to him. Not strong enough to compete with a boy.

"Well I think she can win this" Meg disagreed. Her feminine pride told her to take the side of the Japanese girl.

"Sparky is a good runner. I bet 10 for his victory" Bunji declared.

"Some brother you are" Meg scolded him.

"10 for the Lady-killer too" Eric agreed.

"15 for Kari and you're both gonna be surprised" Meg pointed her finger at her brothers. They smirked. That feminine pride will cost their sister a lot.

"And I bet they're both going to end up in some kind of trouble" JD sighed. Somehow, two teens chasing each other in the water park didn't seem like a good idea to him. But, whom he was to disagree with the majority? Only a genius.

Kari stood five meters from her opponent. Everything was prepared for their little competition.

"When I say "go", we start. Got it?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Fine then. Ready… steady… go!" and so, the race begun. Both teens launched like crazy, reaching a high speed. The Bennetts, lead by Bunji, followed them from safe distance.

Kari first tried to fool her opponent by running eights around the nearby trees and goodie booths. He however saw through her plan and cut her way, almost bumping into her. The girl somehow avoided landing in his grasp and hurried along the closest pool, ignoring a good amount of people in her way. Seeing a bridge, she crossed it. Sparky took other bridge and was getting closer to her. Alarmed, she rushed at some stairs, that lead up the hill, from top of which the water slides were coming. It was a bad move, as she quickly noticed a queue of people in front of her, waiting to take one of the slides. She turned back. Sparky has already reached the stairs. She was trapped!

The Bennetts checked their watches. It seemed like Kari would loose in only 20 seconds. Eric and Bunji felt wild satisfaction. Sparky has just granted them 7 dollars 50 cents per head!

But no! Suddenly, Kari jumped over the crash barrier, landing in the middle of one of the slides. The people is the queue gasped, and the person who was just taking the slide panicked. They were going to crash!

The Japanese girl landed in the water and immediately jumped back, making place for the person behind her. The collision was avoided!

Sparky jumped after Kari. He couldn't be worse!

The person who landed right after Kari screamed and swam aside, making place for the upcoming boy. This was far too much to handle!

Having noticed her pursuer, the girl hurried to the shore, yelling Japanese swearings and trying to overcome a thermal shock.

At this point, the people who saw the whole incident started calling Kari and Sparky names, and their chorus of indignation alarmed the life guard. Rushing into the scene, he ordered the misbehavers to stop, but they were already reaching the next stairs, that lead to an other complex of slides.

It's been 40 seconds and it seemed like JD's predictions were about to come true.

Kari was furious. Just how many blind alleys will she run into before the time is out? Oh dear, just 20 seconds left, she can't loose it now!

As expected, the stairs lead to a kind of balcony, from which two slides started. There wasn't that many people queuing here, but also no possibility of getting past them. Trapped again! Suddenly, an idea. Slightly below the balcony she was at, she saw another one. Without further thinking, she jumped over the barrier. Her landing was safe. But Sparky, who jumped after her, wasn't this lucky. His foot slipped on the barrier and the boy started to fall down. While falling, he managed to catch the barrier of the balcony he was supposed to land on. But it seemed like it was too slippery to hold on to!

The spectators froze. If he falls, he'll hit the slope of the hill and then probably slip further into the pool below. The overall distance was five meters! And there was no way the Bennett kids could bionic on with so many spectators and no place to hide, and surely not fast enough!

Kari turned, hearing Sparky's scream. Surprisingly, she hurried back and grabbed the boy's hand. He rose his head and looked at her with fear and hope. She held his hand still. Will she be able to pull him back into the safety?

Beep! Beep!

One minute was gone. The contest was over. Kari and Sparky looked at each other in shock. What now?

In the end, Sparky's other hand slipped and the boy eventually fell down, pulling his potential girlfriend with. Both screamed as they hit the slope, tumbled down it and landed in the pool below with a loud splash. The finish was spectacular.

The Bennett kids made their way past the people, who gathered by the shore of the pool. Kari and Sparky could be seriously hurt!

A second later, the boy and the girl appeared on the surface, coughing and gasping for air. Steadily, they swam to the shore. It seemed like neither was wounded.

Bunji pulled his sister out of water. Yes! No visible wounds! Only small bruises! She'll be fine!

"Kari-ane! Are you alright?" he asked her. She didn't answer, as she was gasping and coughing still. But her expression told him she wasn't feeling well at all. Meanwhile, JD helped Sparky out. The lady-killer has already gotten hold of himself.

"Bunji!" he noticed his classmate "What are you doing here?"

"Pretty much the same as you, only without risking my life" Bunji laughed. A second later he landed in the pool, hit by his furious sister.

"You Americanized excuse for a Japanese!" she yelled at him "Where have you been when I needed you?! Why didn't you defend me?! That black hentai() almost killed me!"

"I'm not black, I'm a Zambo" Sparky corrected "And I didn't even lay a finger on you"

"Your anger is fully understandable, Kari" JD decided to try being diplomatic "We were supposed to be watching you, yet we left you alone. But isn't that exactly what you asked us to do?" he asked her. He made a good point, and the girl appeared to realize it. She looked at him and then looked down, giving an impression of being angry at herself and sort of ashamed. JD was happy. He managed to calm her down.

Meanwhile, Bunji came out of water. He wasn't expecting such a violent reaction. He didn't do anything. Well, he couldn't have known how would the whole bet end, could he? That sister of his really should stop insulting everybody and got to work on her bad temper.

But, fortunately or not, he didn't have a chance to tell her what he was thinking. A tall, muscular man with a deadly serious gaze appeared upon them. And the writing on his vest was saying: Lifeguard.

"Extreme sports fans, aren't you?" the man asked, making the whole bravery leave the teens' bodies. Now it was time to beg for mercy.

"Umh…" Sparky tried to come up with an excuse "I can explain everything"

"You will. In the presence of your parents. Now get up and come with me!" with that, the lifeguard grabbed the shoulders of Kari and Sparky and pushed them forwards. Both resisted in fear, but quickly realized it's better to follow the big guy's orders.

"Serves them right" somebody in the crowd said.

"Those teens nowadays…"

"Troublemakers and vandals"

"They're lucky they didn't hurt anybody"

The people kept on criticizing the nowadays' teens for a couple of more seconds and finally returned to their own business, but the Bennett kids had no idea what to do. One thing was sure: they could all expect a great scolding from their parents.

Meanwhile Jack and Helen have just finished their ride through a tube called Barracuda Blister and were resting before the next one.

"That was incredible!" Helen was beaming with joy "It's so fast I almost lost the top of my swimming suit on the way!"

"And I'm suddenly feeling young" her husband laughed "Let's check the wave pool now. I wonder if it's really as good as it's claimed to be"

"One way to find out" Helen agreed.

"Attention please, attention please" a message came from the radio centre "The parents of Hikari Mazaki and Kenneth Sparksider are requested to arrive at the lifeguards' post. I repeat: the parents of Hikari Mazaki and Kenneth Sparksider are requested to arrive at the lifeguards' post"

Jack and Helen exchanged looks.

"Do you think she was hurt?" Helen was worried.

"More likely she ran into some trouble. I had a feeling we shouldn't leave them alone" Jack said. He knew that somehow "trouble" and "the Bennett children" worked surprisingly well in the same sentence. And wasn't pleased about it.

"Come!" his wife hurried "We must go there!" and so, they went, praying that what they'll discover at the lifeguards' post won't be as bad as they assumed.

GLOSSARY:

() baka – (jap.) idiot

() hentai – (jap.) pervert

NOTE: Sorry for late update, of course. I honestly had no idea of how to handle this chapter. But to my utter amazement, after I actually did some research on it I had a clear vision of what I want to write and after my mom took me on a trip to the country, I wrote it all within 3 days only! I can't believe it!


	6. Chapter 6

,Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 6: What's love got to do with it

Kari couldn't think of anything, that could possibly make this day worse.

First of all, she was forced to come to this goddamned country on the other side of the world, just to meet her supposed to be brother. Seriously, she knew better ways to waste those 6 hours than to fly from Japan to California. And she knew people far more worthy of spending time with than that American idiot Bunjiro.

Second, her father told her he might not be her father. She honestly didn't believe he wasn't. If she was the daughter of that other guy, some martial arts master, then why the heck would her mother leave her? Maybe that other guy didn't want her, because she was a girl? Or maybe the Bitch herself didn't know, who the father was? Darn it, why in the world did she go to bed with both of them? It would really save all of them lots of troubles if she only was faithful.

Third, she had to spend the entire day with the family of gaijins(). Never in her life had she seen a weirder family. None of the kids resembled their parents. Probably, all of them were adopted, just like Bunjiro-no baka. Of course, they thought they knew what is best for her and couldn't even understand that she didn't want to play with them. After what she's experienced today, how could she? She wanted to suffer in peace. Is it really too much to ask?

Finally, some black pervert decided to entertain himself on her expense and her brother didn't move a finger to help her. If he was a true Japanese, he'd defend her. But no, why would he if he could watch and laugh? Darn Americans. They are all the same. All they care for is their own pleasure.

So, she ended up here on the bank in front of the lifeguards' post, beside the black pervert, waiting for her brother's adoptive parents to arrive. Right now, Bunjiro and his adopted siblings were talking to the lifeguard who placed them here. It appeared like they wanted to do some explaining, but the lifeguard didn't want to listen. Heh. Right. They knew they were in for a lecture as well. After all, it was their fault she had to save herself with the escape in the first place.

"Thank you" she heard a shy voice. She turned to the dark skinned boy beside her. That Sparky, or whatever his name was.

"What for?" she asked, not knowing what might he mean.

"For trying to save me. That was very noble of you" he explained. Oh. That. Right, she tried to pull him up when he almost fell from that balcony. She didn't know why. She should've just let him fall down. There was no need to pretend she's a hero, especially knowing he was too heavy for her to lift. Come to think of it, what she did was foolish.

"That was stupid. In the end, we both fell down" she told him, ashamed and angry at herself.

"It doesn't matter" Sparky smiled "You had good intentions and that counts. So, once again, thank you" good intentions. Yeah, right. She had no intentions at all. She didn't want to help him. Her body moved on its own. There is nothing noble to it. Certainly.

"You're welcome" she said simply, knowing it was better than to get into further discussion. If she told him her body moved on its own, he'd take it as an obvious sign of love and claim they were meant for each other. And she hated having to hear such idiotic love declarations, which he probably used on every girl he tried to pick up and had nothing to do with how he really felt. He hoped to get her in bed and that's all.

Fortunately, the Bennett siblings appeared in front of them now. Good. Maybe their presence will prevent Sparky from putting to life anything inappropriate he could have in mind.

"We're sorry" Bunji said "I'm afraid we can't talk you out of this"

"Yeah, that guy just won't listen to anything we say" Eric added.

"It's okay" Sparky replied "My parents won't be hard on me. They know I tend to do crazy things when I'm in love" with that, he gave Kari a dreamful gaze. She frowned.

"No chance, bastard" she told him "I'm soon going back to Japan and we won't be seeing each other again" she hoped he would understand such a strong argument. The fact they were living on the opposite sites of the Ocean should be enough to kick flirting out of his head. But the boy only showed a little disappointment.

"There still is the internet, you know. My e-mail address is " he grinned. Kari felt a sudden urge to hit him with a frying pan.

"He looks kinda cute, you know" Meg whispered to her brothers. All nodded.

Bunji couldn't help but smirk. Those two would make a cute couple, no doubt.

"Kari!" a loud cry was heard as Jack and Helen entered the scene. The Bennett children were mentally getting ready for a lecture, but their parents avoided them and hurried to the Japanese girl with fear painted on their faces.

"Are you hurt?" Helen asked, trying to examine her guest, but she didn't let her touch her.

"I'm fine, thank you" she hissed, standing further from Helen. Meanwhile, the lifeguard came to greet the newly comers.

"You're not the parents of the girl, are you?" he guessed, scanning the couple.

"No, sir. We are her hosts and are looking after her. The other four here are our children" Jack informed him. The lifeguard gave JD and Bunji a surprised look.

"Adopted" JD added for formality.

"I wouldn't have guessed" the lifeguard said with irony "Alright. Now we just have to wait for the parents of the other vandal and…"

"Kenneth Kocoum Sparksider!" another loud cry was heard and the company was joined by an Afro-American man, an Amerindian woman, a girl aged about 8 and a boy aged about 3. Sparky stood up to greet his family and his mother immediately grabbed his shoulders and yelled right into his face:

"What happened?!"

"Mom, calm down, I'm fine" Sparky assured, scared by his mother's reaction. Meanwhile, his father turned to the lifeguard.

"What did our son do? I hope it's nothing serious"

"It's very serious in fact. Your son…"

"Kenny!" the lifeguard's speech was cut by yet another cry. Two girls in mid/late teens, one girl in early teens and a boy in mid teens, all dark skinned, joined the Sparksider family.

"What did Kenny do this time?" one of the girls asked.

"Dude, Kelly almost got a heart attack when she heard that announcement!" the boy shouted at Sparky. Now Bunji's sympathy for Sparky was explained: both knew the joys and pains of having to deal with many siblings. Yeah, big family is a good thing. The lifeguard however didn't seem to share the opinion, as he was looking at the entire gathering with his eyes winded.

"Are all these children yours?" he asked Sparky's parents, in a tone that suggested he thought they were crazy. Sparky's father nodded.

"Yes, all seven of them. And now, could you tell us what our son did?" he asked. The lifeguard sighed. He obviously was against big families.

"Your son…" he grabbed Sparky's shoulder from behind "as well as your guest…" he turned to the Bennetts and grabbed Kari's shoulder from behind "…seem to have mistaken our water park for a military field" and so, he told the both families about how Kari and Sparky chased each other like crazy through the park, naming all the rules they broke on their way, mentioning all sorts of accidents they could have caused, ascertained it's a miracle nobody got hurt and repeated quite a few times, that they both were a threat to everybody's safety.

"On top of that…" he added at the end "…the girl here seems to have some serious racist outlooks"

Jack and Helen didn't seem happy about the fact. Having children of all three races, they were very sensitive to any signs of racist.

"I'm not a racist!" Kari protested. The lifeguard didn't seem convinced.

"Really? Then what did you call your friend? A black what?"

"Of, come on!" the girl got annoyed "What's so insulting with calling a black man a black man?" she asked. Bunji knew she in fact called Sparky a black pervert, but admitting that in front of his family would be a suicide.

"I'm not black" Sparky repeated "As I said, and as you may see…" he pointed his parents "…I'm a half Afro-American half Amerindian. So, I'm a Zambo" he explained. Seeing his family, everybody had to admit he was right. Calling him black didn't seem appropriate, especially since he reminded more of his mother than his father. His skin had a golden brown shade, typical for Amerindians, and his hair was straight. Only one of his sisters, that could possibly be his twin, inherited the same traces. The other Sparksider children had chocolate brown skin and curly hair like their father, making Sparky look a little extraordinary comparing to them. What all siblings had in common were their father's full lips and their mother's narrow eyes.

"Whatever" was Kari's answer. To her, the lady-killer remained black.

"As for the consequences…" the lifeguard cut in, obviously tired and wanting to finish the case as fast as possible "…these vandals receive a warning and are banned out from the Raging Waters to the end of the day. If they ever cause any problems again, they will be banned forever. I hope we understand each other" the last sentence was directed to Kari and Sparky. Neither looked happy, but both knew better than to talk back.

"Does that mean we have to go home?" Sparky's youngest sister asked, becoming very sad at the possibility. The lifeguard's expression showed deep annoyance, but he tried not to let it take over him.

"You can stay, provided your brother and his friend sit under some palm tree and stay out of water" he decided.

"We'll make sure they do, sir" Sparky's father said "There will be no further problems with our son, I guarantee"

"I'd suggest getting yourself more kids. Will surely make them easier to look after" the lifeguard dared to smirk insolently. The comment seemed even more insulting, considering he had criticized Kari for her outlooks just a little while ago. Everybody nailed the man with a murderous gaze for that and Mr. Sparksider clearly expressed a desire to rearrange his face. Mrs. Sparksider however put her hand on her husband's shoulder and said in a perfectly calm voice:

"Ken, don't be so upset. I promise I'll inflict a dozen of Indian curses on this guy as soon as we get home"

The lifeguard stared at her in disbelief. Indian curses? This didn't sound good. Mr. Sparksider suddenly brightened up and nodded in understanding.

"Of course, my dear Kuwanyauma! How could I forget your magnificent curses? Oh, it's been so long since you last used them…"

"About two years. And you know what? I recently visited that guy whom I inflicted them upon. He had finally stopped wetting his pants!"

"Wow! After two years? It usually takes four years! What about his rash? And the epilepsy attacks?"

"The rash turned pink! And the epilepsy is as horrible as always!"

"Serves that jerk right! I bet he'll never dare call you nor any other woman fat again!"

"Sure thing! I think I could release him in another year or two. If he behaves well, that is!"

As the couple went on, the lifeguard's eyes became more and more wide and his face more and more pale. He stared at the Sparksiders in disbelief and fear and suddenly became dizzy. Instantly, he turned on his feet and ran away with the speed of a cannonball. When he disappeared from the horizon, the Sparksider couple broke into laughter and their children congratulated them on the wonderful performance. Obviously, they made the whole story up.

"Man, that was something!"

"Good job mom and dad!"

"You're the best!"

"That mister ran very fast!"

"Good thing you did! That's not something he'd forget easily!" Sparky was the last one to congratulations. He however lost the smile of his face when he met his parents' serious expressions.

"I wouldn't be so happy if I were you, Kenneth Kocoum" his mother said, changing into the strict mode "You have some serious explaining to do"

"Same goes to you, Kari" Helen turned to the Japanese girl, with no anger but a clear disappointment "We'd never think such a mature young woman like you could act in such an irresponsible way" she scolded.

"Irresponsible?" Kari hissed "Then what do you think I could have done to free myself from this jerk?!" she pointed at Sparky "Punch him in the face? Just because I'm Japanese doesn't mean I know martial arts!"

The girl's reaction to scolding surprised everybody. Kari obviously didn't feel guilty at all. Moreover, she saw herself as a victim. But it was she who lead the chase, as the lifeguard told them. She shared the blame.

Unless…

"Kenny, what did you do to this girl?" Sparky's father asked him, unable to believe his son could have hurt a woman.

"I asked her to go to the Dragon's Den with me. And she said she would if I manage to catch her within a minute. That's all, I swear" the boy assured.

"That's true" Bunji felt it was a good time to support his class-mate "He didn't even touch her. Kari is just overreacting"

"I'm not overreacting!" his sister protested "The problem is that you men take "No" for "Yes" and "Get lost" for "Take me, I'm all yours"! You are all too self-centered to realize that there are women, who don't dream of becoming your toys! Or perhaps is it because my English is so miserably poor that you misunderstood me?!" she turned to Sparky. The boy was deeply shocked by the power of her rage.

"You looked so lonely and unhappy" he said quietly "I thought you would appreciate company. And, besides…" he stopped for a while, not sure if he could risk saying anything more, but eventually added in a whisper "…I really like you"

"Bullshit"

"Kari! Language!" Helen scolded. Sparky's teen brother and sisters hurried to cover the youngest kids' ears, giving the Japanese girl a look full of criticism. Her expression told them she realized she shouldn't swear in the presence of little children, but she didn't apologize.

"I take that back" she just announced "And you better take back yours as well" she advised Sparky "There is no way I'd go out with such a textbox womanizer like you, and I'm pretty sure you will have forgotten all about me by tomorrow, so let's just pretend we never met. That will be the best for us all" with that, she made herself as clear as ever. Now, fully aware of he's just been turned down for good, Sparky was overwhelmed with sorrow. His usual happiness and joy slowly faded away, and the boy became gloomy. Kari suspected he would be trying to force some pity out of her, but this was really something. He must've practiced those sorrowful eyes and desperate face a lot. Oh geez, are those tears forming in his eyes? Man, that is going to far.

Mr. Sparksider seemed to share Kari's opinion, as he put a hand on his oldest son's shoulder and suggested they should leave. Both families agreed. Only the youngest of the Sparksider girls expressed a different mind. She suddenly came to JD and caught his leg, almost giving the young man a heart attack.

"Pretty boy is coming with us!" she announced, hugging JD's leg with greatest affection. He felt paralyzed. The girl put him into a very difficult situation. What to do? He can't go with her obviously, but how to tell her that without hurting her feelings? Geez, he's in trouble.

Bunji and Eric already started to snicker, but one strict gaze from Jack was enough to silence them. The Sparksiders, on the other hand, thought the scene was extremely cute.

"Kimberly, angel…" the girl's mother spoke sweetly "…don't you think the pretty boy's family would be very sad, if we took him away from them? He is so cute, I'm sure they would miss him terribly" she tried to explain to her daughter. This time, the Bennett kids couldn't help it but giggle. JD cute! This was even better than Sparky's attempts at Kari!

"They won't be sad!" Kimberly claimed "We take their pretty boy and leave our Kelly with them!" she exclaimed, as happy as if it was the most brilliant idea in the world.

"Well thanks a lot!" Sparky's possible twin, Kelly, hissed, folding her arms.

"But they will love you!" Kimberly assured "You have bad temper, just like their daughter!" she said, pointing at Kari. Neither of the "bad tempered" girls liked the comparison. The little girl achieved an impossible, making Kari even angrier than she already was. And making the boys even more amused.

Fortunately for Kimberly, neither of the young women she insulted had time to come up with a good contra, as Sparky decided to interfere.

"Listen, Kimberly…" he kneeled besides his youngest sister, who was still holding JD's leg "…if you let pretty boy stay with his family, I'll let you braid my hair" he told her with a big smile.

"Really?" the girl's eyes grew wide and shinny.

"Sure"

"Yuppie!!" Kimberly threw herself at her brother, immediately forgetting about JD. The Bennett genius used his chance to take a few steps backwards, his heart still trembling. This was an extreme experience.

Now, when all the problems have been solved, and Sparky assured that he is the greatest and most beloved big brother in the world, the families could go each in their own direction.

"Bye bye, pretty boy!" Kimberly waved at JD as she was leaving. The boy managed to wave back at her and whisper: "bye bye". The girl was cute, surely, but he felt relieved for being freed from her.

All of a sudden, he felt a strong pat on his shoulder. It was his brother Eric.

"Man, those girls coming after you are getting younger and younger!" he snickered "How do you do it?"

"It's not funny" JD told him "Fangirls can be dangerous, and especially such young fangirls"

"Sure they are!" Bunji laughed "They can squeeze your blood out of you!"

"Alright boys, call it of" Jack turned to his sons "We've had enough cheap entertainment for today"

"Besides, there's still something we have to settle" Helen started "What have you been doing, when our guest was running into trouble?" Oops. That's a good question. They had it coming. The Bennett siblings looked at each other nervously.

"Well…"

"Umh…"

"We were…watching from safe distance"

Jack and Helen weren't pleased with the answer. But they knew they shouldn't expect anything more satisfying.

"And I thought we could trust you" Helen scolded her children "You were supposed to be watching her"

"But mom!" Eric was the first one to protest "We were trying to be nice to her! Really! She's the one who told us to leave her alone!"

"She was mega unfriendly!" Meg supported her brother "And because of that, we couldn't enjoy ourselves!"

"Seriously, we had no idea, what to do!" Eric went on "It wouldn't help much if we sat underneath that palm tree with her, would it?!"

"We gave her our hospitality, but she refused to accept it!" JD added. At this point, Kari decided to cut in.

"Some hospitality!" she commented "You leave me on the mercy of some horny teenage Afro-Amer-Indian and you call it hospitality?! You could very well see that he was harassing me, yet you did nothing! How can you explain this?!"

"You're going too far!" Bunji confronted her "He was just talking to you!"

"Guess you've never heard of "mental harassment"! He was looking at me, as if he wanted to eat me! He was practically drooling at me!"

"No, he wasn't!" Bunji revolted "You have some rich imagination!"

"Well you have no imagination at all! Nor do you have any honor!"

"The problem is not my honor, not even my imagination! It's all about your own complexes, isn't it?!"

"My what?!"

"Your fear of being treated like a woman! You don't accept yourself the way you are! You want everybody to think you're strong, tough and that you don't need anybody! That's why you didn't want to go on a ride with Sparky! It would put you in the role of a woman, which in your opinion would make you look weak! Get real! It's about time you grew a spine and let go of all the shit your father filled you with!" nobody dared to even blink, as Bunji yelled at his sister, getting more and more self confident. Kari in return expressed shock by the fact he actually had guts to insult her, and was starting to show fear. Her inner balance has just been destroyed.

"So desu ja nai ()" she drewled, clearly unaware of she started to speak Japanese "Wakaranai. Omae-wa… Chichi-to-wa mo tsukiataku nai! Chichi-wa boku-ga aisuru! Haha-to chigau! ()" at this point, the girl was starting to cry. Nobody but Bunji could understand what she was saying, but everybody could see he hurt her deeply. He was starting to wonder weather he got too far, when he got that strange feeling again. That feeling…

_He saw a woman sitting by a table, with a small chil__d on her lap. That woman, his mother, was holding one hand in front of herself. In her trembling hand, she held a pregnancy test. A positive one._

"_We have a big problem, Hikari" she said to her daughter "We have a big problem" _

_Suddenly, a different scene. In some sort of park. And a couple of people walking by. Could it be? His parents? _

"_Yes, the hotel I'm staying by is luxurious indeed" his father was saying "I have a private bathroom with a Jacuzzi, about five bottles of champagne in the fridge, and a huge, comfortable bed with canopy. Not to mention the wonderful view from the balcony" _

"_That sounds great, Hideo-kun" his mother replied. His father made a mysterious smirk._

"_I'd love to show it to you. The bed especially" with that, he made mother turn as red as a tomato. _

_Yet different scene. Some office room. Tsutomu, looking so much younger, standing there. In front of him, mother, with her forehead pressed to the floor._

"_I beg you, Mazaki-san!" she cried "You are my only hope!" _

And then, a quick wave of pain and coldness. And the face of his sister, no longer crying, but as shocked as ever.

Those scenes. She could see them too, he was sure of it. They could see them, if they looked into each other's eyes. Strong emotions seemed to trigger them. And this time, he saw his parents. It was fascinating. Touching. Amazing. He had no vaguest idea how, but it worked. And he felt a deep desire to see more. To discover the truth. To sink within it. At any cost.

"Bunji" somebody's voice brought him back to the reality "I think you should apologize to your sister. What you said was inappropriate and it hurt her feelings" his mother blamed him. Hurt her? Right. Wait, what was that what he was saying to her just a while ago? He had no idea. But it didn't matter anymore.

"Gomen nasai. I'm sorry, Nee-san" he told Kari "I got carried away" surprisingly to the Bennett family, but not to Bunji, Kari didn't seem angry anymore. Probably, she too didn't remember a thing of what her brother was saying a moment ago.

"It's okay, oto-oto. It's okay" she said in a whisper, perfectly calm, only a little sad. The rest of the family could let go a sigh of relief.

"Alright. I hope there will be no further arguments" Jack said. The children nodded at him. Arguments cost them a lot of energy, which could be put to a better use.

"I think we should go home now" Helen submitted "If Kari is banned, then there is no point in staying here"

"My problem is not your problem" Kari answered to that "I can sit under some palm tree and watch you play. After all, that's what I was doing before that black… Sparky came up" she declared. The Bennett children seemed happy, for they didn't want to go home yet. That Kari at least realized it wouldn't be fair if they all had to leave the park just because she got banned. That could count as some sympathy and will to cooperation. At last.

"I don't know, Kari" Helen had doubts "We shouldn't leave you completely alone…"

"Then I'll stay with her" Bunji volunteered. His statement surprised everybody "I mean, she is my sister. It is my responsibility to be watching upon her" he explained. This sudden changed in behavior and way of thinking caught both his parents and siblings unaware. It was at least strange. Was it because he felt guilty? Whatever reason he had, he couldn't take it all on himself.

"We will take turns watching over Kari" Meg decided "If she is Bunji's sister, that makes her our sister too. We all should keep her company"

"Agreed this time, sis" Eric supported her.

"Yes. We made a mistake once, but it won't happen again" JD added. Jack and Helen were overjoyed with their children's declarations. It seemed that they learned their lesson.

"Alright then" Jack told them "Go and have fun. Just make sure you don't run into trouble again"

"Sure, dad! Come, Kari, let's find you some nice palm tree or whatever you like!" Meg lead the way, and her brothers followed. Kari walked besides Bunji and they both exchanged looks.

They knew, what they were thinking. They needed to investigate this strange ability they shared. They needed to learn the truth.

And to learn it, they had to cooperate. 

GLOSSARY:

() gaijin – (jap.) foreigner

() So desu ja nai – That's not how it is

() Wakaranai – You don't know

() Omae-wa Chichi-to-wa mo tsukiataku nai – You don't want to know my father

() Chichi-wa boku-ga aisuru! Haha-to chigau! – My father loves me! In opposite to my mother!

NOTE: I had absolutely no idea that Sparky's family will steal the show so much. Next chapter will revolve around Bunji, Kari and their mother (unless I get some unexpected brilliant ideas).

BTW I know only absolute basics of Japanese, so my translations may be partly incorrect, but it's all about the atmosphere, right?

Oh, and I lifted the ages a little. So, JD and Kari are 19, Eric and Meg are 18, Bunji and Sparky are 17.


	7. Chapter 7

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 7: At the beginning with Tsutomu

The time has come.

They have found a nice, quiet place for Kari. There was a palm tree, giving shadow, an ice cream booth nearby and a good view of the pool they were going to use. According to his promise, Bunji took the first watch over his sister, and the rest of his siblings left them, promising to switch with him sometime soon. Now, the two Japanese were alone. Free to talk about their strange ability.

The problem is, they didn't know what to say.

At first, they didn't even know, weather they could look into each other's eyes. Eye contact triggers those scenes. Bunji wanted to watch them, but he couldn't tell, what Kari's feelings about it were. He had already learned, that interacting with this girl might be dangerous. He liked challenges, but he'd prefer if he could simply talk to his half-sister, like he did to his adopted one. If this only was so easy.

Suddenly, Kari spoke:

"Nani-no kore-o suru-ka?()"

"What?"

"How do you do this" the girl translated, slightly irritated "For Kami()'s sake, you should be able to understand such basics of your native language, Omae-no Eigo-ya()"

"I DID understand what you said" the boy felt insulted "I was asking what do you mean by this what" he explained. Geez, she heard him speak Japanese before, she should know he hasn't forgotten it. Although he hasn't heard the "Eigo-ya" form before. He knew it had something to do with using the English language, but nothing more.

"If you do understand, let's switch to Japanese. I want this to stay between the two of us" she demanded. Bunji nodded. Perhaps she was right. It was their personal business.

"Wakatta()" he agreed.

"Good" Kari went on, using Japanese "So, what I meant is, how do you make me see those… scenes?"

"I don't. It's unusual to me. I look into your eyes when you are angry and they just play themselves. So it goes"

"Hmh" Kari seemed frustrated "That is strange"

"But it shows our parents. I recognized my father. I looks to me that we are seeing the past"

"Unbelievable as it seems, I must agree. In fact, I think I know what was happening in the last of those scenes"

"You do? Please, tell me" Bunji lightened up. If his sister could provide him with any details, he was willing to listen.

"That would be how father first met the Bitch. She came to his office to beg for help for her mother, who was dying of cancer"

"You mean we have a grandmother?" this information was essential to Bunji.

"We had. She died when the bitch was in 4th month with me"

"Oh" the boy lowered his head. Right, he should have known. If their grandmother had survived, she would have taken care of him after his father's disappearance.

"As I was saying…" Kari went on "grandmother had cancer. Leukemia, to be exact. She needed a lot of blood transfusions in order to survive. The problem was, she had a very rare blood group, 0-. There was not enough of it in the hospital supplies. The Bitch was poor, so she couldn't afford buying the blood. One thing left to do was to find a private donor. In the hospital, they gave her the list of people with the group 0- from their database. That's how she found father"

"I see" Bunji enjoyed learning the circumstances, in which his mother met Tsutomu. He wished he knew, how she met his father. That sister of his was so lucky to posses such knowledge. He envied her. Even if her parents' story wasn't anything romantic, it was good to know.

Suddenly, an awful idea hit Bunji.

"You mean he demanded sex in exchange for his blood?!" he asked Kari in horror. Tsutomu made an impression of a man, who'd do exactly this sort of thing.

"Hell no!" Kari protested "He's not like that! When he needs sex, he goes to a brothel! He says it's no pleasure when the woman is unwilling!"

"Okay, I've got it!" Bunji stopped her. He wasn't interested in Tsutomu's love life, nor his outlook on it "I didn't mean to insult you" he added, knowing he has enraged his sister.

"I forgive you. But next time, think before you talk" Kari warned him "My father grew up with two older sisters. He wouldn't force anybody to go to bed with him. Of that, you can be sure"

"That's good to know" Bunji admitted. Still, he didn't trust Tsutomu a little bit. This man had no respect for women, and surely not for Kari. Bunji believed he must've treated their mother like a trash. She did cheat on him. She must've had her reasons.

"So, how about your father?" Kari asked "How did they meet?"

Bunji felt sad.

"I don't know" he said "Father never spoke of it. He had always been so sad when I asked him about mother. He just told me she died and was sitting on a cloud with the angels. I asked him, if she could fall off that cloud" he smiled on the memory "He replied, that the angels would not let her fall. I have always pictured her in a white robe, singing in the heaven's choir. But after my father disappeared and I was adopted, Helen Bennett became my mother. I loved her and never thought of my real mother again" he explained. He had no idea what motherly love meant, until Helen took care of him. She was so compassionate, so kind and had so much warmth to offer, that he couldn't help it but become devoted to her. She was the only mother he's ever had. Until he finally learned of the woman who gave birth to him. Now that he saw her on the picture and in his sister, he felt, as if a desire, which he hadn't realized he had, has been satisfied. And still, he wanted more. Desperately.

"Angel choir" Kari was amused "My vision of her was exactly the opposite"

"Whatever. Let's focus on the scenes now. Maybe they will help us find out, what really happened between mother and fathers"

"I don't think I'd like to witness my own birth, let alone my conception"

"Right, me neither. But if we focus on a concrete situation, like the first meeting, maybe we will be able to access exactly those scenes and nothing else?" he suggested. He believed there must be a way to control what they see. If there wasn't, he was going to invent it on his own. The deal was worth all the effort.

Kari regarded her brother for a few seconds. It appeared that she was actually willing to cooperate. Bunji was sure, that she wanted to know the truth, just as much as he did. She wanted to know, that her mother loved her. That she didn't have to hate her.

Finally, the girl made her choice.

"Fine. Let's do it. Let's focus on their first meeting. That would be good for a start"

"Great" Bunji was happy "Now, look into my eyes, and try not to blink"

"Bring it on, little brother"

"As you wish, big sister"

So, their gazes met. The two siblings put all their physical energy into staring into each other's eyes and the entire mental energy into thinking "Show me how my mother met my father". A second passed. Then another. The tension rose. It is so close. Just a little more effort. They can make it. They will. They must…

The room, which appeared in front of their eyes, was relatively small. It wasn't luxurious either. Just four walls, a shelve for documents, and two desks. One of them equipped with a simple computer. The other one occupied by a young man.

Tsutomu was focused on the wide piece of paper in front of him. His gaze remained peaceful and cold as he pressed the ruler to the paper and drew a straight line with his pencil. The picture presented a detailed design of a sports car. Another, separate piece of paper, contained calculations and various data.

"This looks good" Bunji noticed. He found himself standing inside the room, just behind Tsutomu. Kari stood by his side.

"At this point, he is just a junior designer at his father's company. But that is to be changed pretty soon" she explained. Bunji remembered the vehicle, in which Tsutomu and Kari travelled. This must've been Tsutomu's work as well.

They weren't given much more time for thinking, as somebody knocked on the door. They all raised their heads.

"Come in" Tsutomu said, not very happy about having to put his pencil away for a while. He gave the impression of a man devoted to his work, a loner, who hates being interrupted.

The door slowly opened and a young, anxious woman came into the office. Her children froze. There she was. The delicate being with eyes full of warmth. As tiny and fragile as a porcelain doll. Unable to hide her nervousness.

"Mazaki Tsutomu-san?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes" confirmed Tsutomu "But I don't see the point in asking. The door has my name on it" he remarked. The woman tried to remain calm, but she obviously was afraid on the man.

"Yes, I know. I just wanted to make sure" she explained.

"Whatever. State you name and business" he demanded. He obviously judged his guest as somebody inferior and wasn't going to show any politeness towards her. Such an attitude annoyed Bunji. That man had no right to treat his mother like this. Regardless of her interrupting his work or anything.

"Kawai Hikari" Hikari introduced herself "I have come to you because of my mother. She has Leukemia and she needs frequent blood transfusions in order to survive. I have found in the hospital database, that you could become a donor for her"

"I could, but I don't have to" Tsutomu was unmoved by the story "There are plenty of people who donate blood willingly, the hospital should give you as much of it as you need"

"My mother needs more than the hospital can offer" sorrow entered Hikari's voice "There are not enough donors for Rh- blood groups, and they must save it for patients, who have a higher chance of surviving. And my mother…" the woman lowered her head and clenched her fists in hopelessness "They say she will never recover" she added in a whisper, full of pain.

Bunji couldn't help it but pity his mother. She must've loved her mother very much. If only he could comfort her somehow… but he wasn't even conceived by that time. And the poor woman was stuck with that heartless jerk.

"If they won't give you blood, then why won't you buy it?" Tsutomu was showing more and more impatience. The tragic situation of his guest meant nothing to him. Bunji wished he could rearrange that bastard's face. He deserved it.

"I am poor, I cannot afford it" the woman was on the edge of breaking "I have to find a private donor, that's the only way. Mazaki-san, you must understand. I need your help. Soon, it will be too late"

"I don't give a dam" Tsutomu replied, with more anger than before "Your mother's life is of no importance to me. Find some other sucker to bother"

"I have asked ten people already, nobody ever wanted to listen to me!" tears were starting to fill Hikari's eyes "I'm running out of time! Mazaki-san, if you don't help, nobody will!"

"That is not my problem!" Tsutomu yelled, furious "I ain't no charity and I don't give a shit about what happens to you and your mother! You have wasted enough of my time! Now get the fuck outta here!" he demanded. Poor Hikari was frightened. She looked, as if she wanted to run away, but could not move. Tsutomu, on the other hand, had the sight of a murderous predator, one that could kill without hesitation. The contrast between the kindhearted, compassionate woman, and the cruel, selfish man, added seriousness to the situation. If Bunji hadn't known, he'd never think those people could end up having a child together. Unless Kari was really his father's daughter. He wished she was. That jerk Tsutomu deserved no children.

Suddenly, Hikari fell to her knees. With tears rolling from her eyes, she prostrated herself in front of Tsutomu.

"I beg you, Mazaki-san!" she sobbed "You are my only hope! I have no family left, my mother is everything to me! I can't let her die! I just can't! I am poor, stupid and weak, I know, but I will do everything to make you help her! Whatever you want! I'll sell my soul to the devil if I have to, but please save her!" the woman cried, trembling and pressing her forehead to the floor. The man didn't like it. He shivered. His face expressed a struggle between fury and fear, maybe even compassion. He was touched, but wasn't going to admit it. As if showing some good will was something to be ashamed of.

"You…" he started, trying to get a grip of himself "There is nothing you could offer that might be of any use to me"

"I could… I could…" Hikari sobbed "As a woman, I…"

"Don't you dare finish this sentence!" Tsutomu stopped her, ashamed and insulted "That's against my honor! And against yours as well!"

"My mother's life means more to me than my honor" Hikari replied, this time calmly "You should be able to understand. If your mother was in need, wouldn't you do anything to help her?" with that, she raised her head to look at him. And made him froze with just one stare.

For the first time, Tsutomu wasn't showing any coldness, nor anger. Moreover, he actually looked scared. Scared of her crying eyes and the miserable look on her face, combination of sadness, hopelessness, but also hope and faith.

A couple of seconds later, his tension melted away. In the end, he did have some conscience.

He went to his desk, picked a pen and a piece of paper, and returned to Hikari.

"Write the address of the hospital and your phone number" he told her, handling her the pen and paper. She looked at him in surprise "I can't leave the office yet, but I will come to the hospital as soon as I can. Just write down all the data I need" he explained. The woman realized, that he was going to help her. Slowly, she brightened up and a sincere smile appeared on her face. Right now, she was the most relieved, happiest person on Earth.

"Arigato" she said, moved by his sudden change in attitude "Mazaki-san, I could never thank you enough…!"

"Then don't" he stopped her "I am not doing this for you. I never do anything for anybody. I just… I feel like it. It's at my will and pleasure" he muttered, looking away. He really was ashamed. It made Hikari smile even more. She took the pen and paper and wrote down the address of the hospital and her data. After she finished, she gave it back to Tsutomu. He took it without looking at her and returned to his desk. The woman stood up, overjoyed and eternally grateful.

"I knew you were a good man" she told him. He was surprised to hear this and looked at her, as if she was crazy.

No further words were needed. Hikari bowed to him one more time and left the office, happy beyond reason. Tsutomu stared at the door for a few more seconds and sighed heavily. He pulled out a cigarette and lightened it. He started smoking and glanced at the piece of paper with the name Kawai Hikari written on it.

"I am not a monster" he muttered "I am not a monster"

The scene was over.

The siblings could only see each other's faces. It took them a few seconds to come back to reality after what they've seen. Finally, Kari broke the silence.

"I know what you're thinking" she said to her brother "You are wrong. He is not a monster"

"I don't envy you" Bunji said "If he is always behaving this way, living with him must be a regular hell"

"He might be harsh, okay" Kari sighed, trying to remain calm "But he is a good father. H has never once made me feel that he hates me. Unlike the bitch" the girl lowered her head. Bunji was surprised to hear this. That sister of his seemed to be jumping to totally wrong conclusions.

"Oh, come on" he told her "You've just seen how selfish and mean your father is. Mother was so brave, she was doing whatever she could to save her mother's life. If she was the evil one, as you think she was, then why would she care?" he asked, wanting to know why was his sister's judgment so much different than his. It was almost impossible.

"I didn't say she was evil" Kari replied, and tension appeared on her face "I just… I wish she was half as good mother as a daughter" she drawled, looking sad and upset.

Bunji felt sorry for his sister and himself. They never got to know their mother. They could never experience her love and affection on themselves. She was such a good person, and she couldn't be there for them. Instantly, the boy felt he was beginning to understand, what sort of feelings the scene awakened in his sister. She wanted to believe their mother was a bitch, because it made her absence easier to bear. Poor, poor Kari.

"She died shortly after I was born" he said "If she only survived, I'm sure she'd have tried to contact you. If she loved her mother so much, she must've loved her daughter too. I'm sure she wished she could raise you the way her mother raised her. It's just that… she didn't live long enough to raise you"

"Whatever" Kari didn't seem like she wanted to listen to this kind of speeches. Perhaps she was just like Tsutomu, ashamed of showing any deeper feelings. Very likely, since he raised her on his own "Let's try again. This time, we might see how she met your father"

This was a good idea. Bunji was excited to discover that one. Oh boy, this had to be a happy, romantic occasion! But then, anything would seem romantic when contrasted with Tsutomu.

"Right, let's do it!" and so, the siblings yet again focused. They knew for sure, the essence was yet to come.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's Notes:

Nani-no kore-o suru-ka? – How do you do this?

Kami – God

Omae-no Eigo-ya – You English speaker (an insulting form)

Wakatta – Understood

Arigato – Thank you

-san – Mister or Mrs.

Once again, the translation might be incorrect when it comes to sentences. I know the absolute basics of Japanese only.

Coming next: How their mother met Bunji's father ^_^.


	8. Chapter 8

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 8: At the beginning with Hideo

Kawai Hikari was leaning against a wall. Assuming from the clothes the people were wearing, it was a hot season, summer or spring. Assuming from the surrounding, this scene was taking place in some shopping district. Many people were walking by, often carrying bags of various sizes. Colorful decorations of the shops were encouraging the customers to come in and purchase the offered items. Compared to Tsutomu's office, this place appeared much nicer.

The woman took a look at her hand-watch. Checking the time. So she was waiting for somebody. Her children wondered, who might that be?

"Hey, babe!" somebody called. Hikari and her children turned in surprise. Two young men were coming towards them. They looked quite normal, but had a wilderness in their eyes "Are you alone? We could offer you our company!" one of them said, presenting a wide grin. He presented himself as a real macho and his comrade snickered behind him.

Assuming from Hikari's expression, she was afraid of those men. And she clearly didn't want to go with them.

"I'm sorry" she whispered in a tiny voice "I.. I can't, I'm… I'm waiting for a friend"

"Oh, a girl friend, right?" one of the men stood right in front of her "Great! We could all have some fun together!" he exclaimed, making the woman blush and press herself harder against the wall. She was terrified.

The scene made Bunji's blood boil. Nobody had the right to treat his mother like this!

"Bastard!" he yelled and attacked the man. His fist came right through the opponent's body, as if he was a ghost.

"Idiot! We can't interfere!" his sister scolded.

"Somebody has to!" Bunji replied, angry. He hated being unable to fight injustice. He was a super hero, for crying out loud!

Suddenly, a fist cut the air between Hikari and the macho. Everybody's attention went to the owner of the fist. Bunji's heart stopped for a moment, just to start working with an extra speed a second later. It was his father!

"May I ask, what in the world do you want from my girlfriend?" Hideo asked the macho. His face was calm, but his voice was filled with power and had a great force. The confidence has left the macho.

"Umm, your girlfriend? Oh, I had no idea!" he excused himself. He had reasons to be scared. Hideo was taller than him and had strong, muscular arms. Short sleeves made it possible to see the karate champion's valors clearly and sharply. But nothing was more impressive than the power in his voice.

"Well, you have an idea now. I don't want to see you close to her ever again, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir! Absolutely! Please excuse us, we really gotta go now!" the macho grabbed his friend and they both left in hurry, leaving dust behind. Bunji felt wild satisfaction. He was proud of his father. He glanced at his sister, hoping she was impressed as well. She seemed interested in the mysterious man, maybe even amazed. Their mother was obviously amazed, looking at the man who helped her, as if he was a God.

The God turned to her, smiling softly.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes… I guess" she replied, and a new blush appeared on her face. Bunji was glad to see it. That was a romantic beginning of a relationship!

"I'm sorry if I scared you. It was the simplest way of making those men leave you. I could have fought them, but I prefer not to use violence when it's not necessary. Especially not in front of such a beautiful, sensitive Lady" he explained, proving to be a real gentleman. The woman in front of him seemed to like it.

"Well… thank you. You are… very kind" she smiled, blushing again. Bunji could bet she has fallen in love from the first sight. His father seemed to be interested in her as well. He could see it in his smile and eyes. He'd never think could be so happy!

"I'm glad you think so" Hideo spoke again "So, you are waiting for a friend?"

"Yes, I am. We were going to go shopping together. But she is late"

"Don't worry, I'm sure she will be here soon"

"I hope so. I don't like being alone. When I go out on my own, I'm defenseless" she sighed and lowered her head in shame "I'm so weak. And scared of everything. Everybody could hurt me if they wanted to. I just… I'm hopeless"

"Nobody is hopeless" Hideo comforted "We are living in dangerous times. The criminality rate is rising. Especially beautiful women at risk. It is wise of you to be afraid. Fearlessness brings nothing but trouble. Besides, bravery itself is not enough. You need to know, how to defend yourself. I think you should sign up for a self-defense course" with that, he pulled a visiting card from his pocket and handed it to her "Sakura Hideo, representative of the Tendo Karate Dojo. I would be honored to teach you"

Hikari took the visiting card and studied it for a second. She then returned her attention to the man in front of her, intrigued.

"You teach karate?" she asked.

"Yes. I am a karate champion. I represent my dojo in various tournaments, but I also teach. If you were interested, there are places in the beginners' group" he confirmed. She seemed to be considering the proposition for a while, but had a problem in making the decision.

"I don't know, Sakura-san. I don't think I could handle this"

"You don't need to be so hard on yourself. Many people are physically weak, and our dojo exists to help them challenge their weakness. You should give yourself a chance. I know it may be difficult, but with a bit of faith, I'm sure you will be able to succeed. The first lesson is for free. What do you say?"

She regarded him with anxiety, still unsure of weather to agree or not. His words seemed to have worked on her, but not enough. Her self esteem was obviously low, too low to allow the possibility of learning to fight. But taking the risk seemed like a reasonable thing to do. And Hideo was so convincing.

Finally, Hikari cheered up.

"I think it won't kill me to give it a try" she smiled. It made Hideo happy. Very happy.

"I shall see you at the dojo then. I promise to take good care of you"

"Hikari" she said "My name is Kawai Hikari"

"Kawai Hikari" he repeated "That's a beautiful name"

"Hikari-san!" somebody cried. A woman ran up to Hikari and Hideo, gasping for air "I'm sorry, Hikari-san" she said "I forgot my key and had to go back…"

"It's alright, Yumi-san" Hikari said "It happens. Fortunately, this gentleman was keeping me company" she pointed Hideo. He bowed.

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate that" Yumi told Hideo.

"It was a pleasure. I suppose you have your own business to take care of, so I will get going. Have a nice shopping and a nice day" he bowed once again and walked away. Hikari's sight followed him as we was leaving.

"What a nice man" Yumi said.

"Yes, indeed" Hikari agreed.

"So, have you decided, what are you going to buy for Tsutomu?"

"Well… I am not sure. I was hoping you would help me choose something"

"Of course I will. There aren't many thing that brother of mine would like, but I'm sure we will be able to find something. Come, let's go"

And so, the two women got going. Hikari took a last glance at Hideo's visiting card, which she kept in her hand. She then put it into her pocket and concentrated on following Yumi.

Her back was the last thing her children saw before the vision ended.

"I can't believe it" Kari said, realizing they're back to reality "Aunt Yumi was corrupted into this. Of all the people…"

"She wasn't corrupted" Bunji disagreed "She didn't notice anything"

"That's because she's an idiot" Kari hissed "Foolish and naïve. Her entire life revolves around serving her husband and caring for their two daughters, and that's it. Darn it, she's the dumbest person I know!"

Bunji sighed. He was getting tired of his sister insulting people.

"Is she your father's sister?" he asked, although it was clearly stated in the scene that she was. This was a good topic for conversation.

"Yes, the oldest. Brainwashed by their father to be a perfect housewife. He made her marry a man from some rich family, so to get profit out of it. She and the Bitch used to be friends, when we were all living in our family household. After the bitch left, aunt Yumi wanted to take me in. She said a man shouldn't be raising a child on his own. Everybody in the family agreed, but father didn't want to listen to it. He moved out and took me with. Since then, we don't stay in touch much. Actually, father doesn't like his relatives. About the only one he doesn't hate is his other sister Tori. She was smarter than Yumi. After their father decided to arrange a marriage for her, she ran away. She travels around the world and rarely comes to Japan. So, to put it, short, my family is not much of a family"

With that, Bunji had to agree. The story of Tsutomu's sisters was sad, and it convinced him that things were not going good in this family. He however couldn't help noticing an important fact: Tsutomu preferred to raise Kari on his own than to let his sister look after her. It was an evidence that he did care for his daughter. Also, of his two sisters, he hated Yumi, who was obedient, and liked Tori, who was independent. So he did believe women should be able to think for themselves. Maybe that's why he decided to keep Kari. So he could raise her to be strong and self-confident. Assuming from her behavior so far, it worked. For the first time, Bunji thought he might've misjudged the man. It seemed there was more to him than coldness and strictness.

But, he wasn't going to torment himself with guilt. He was too happy. He had seen his parents. He knew how they met. It was worth all the money in the world and many more.

"Right" he said to his sister "So, what do you think of the scene? It was great, wasn't it? When my father scared those guys away, that was so cool!"

"Yes, it was impressive" Kari agreed "He really seemed like a nice person"

"He was nice. And so smart. I have always wanted to be like him. Gush, I remember how patient he was with me, no matter how foolish I was. I often didn't understand, what he was trying to explain to me, but he never criticized me because of it. Even if I misbehaved, he rarely yelled at me. He was such a great father. I miss him" Bunji sighed, feeling nostalgic. He loved his father. And now, he had one more reason to look up to him. He was a real gentleman and treated his mother kindly. That was something .

Kari seemed to feel her brother's pride and joy. She smiled weakly, but it didn't last very long. Perhaps it was jealousy, perhaps something else, but she concentrated on their mother again.

"The Bitch, on the other hand, was pathetic. I felt so ashamed when she said she was hopeless and scared of everything. She was the same type of human aunt Yumi is, one that has no spine and sugar instead of brain. That's what I hate the most in people. I can't believe her blood is running through my veins. It's a real shame"

Bunji didn't like her ruining his good mood.

"Not everybody can be as self-confident as you are. That doesn't mean they are pathetic. You are pretty pathetic yourself, always using your hatred for others as a mask for your own weakness. Our mother might've been delicate and fragile, but she had enough courage to admit it. You don't have enough guts to do that. Like they say, the smallest dogs bark the loudest. Believe me or not, Nee-san, but such an attitude will only make people hate you. You should be ashamed of yourself, not of our mother" he told her, trying to remain calm, but firm. He knew he had to use big words if he was to make any impression on Kari, even if he had to insult her.

The young woman's face expressed annoyance, but apart from that, she didn't move. She saw self-confidence in her brother's eyes and knew it was better not to start a fight. Fortunately, it seemed she acknowledged Bunji's rights, or at least pretended to.

"I don't mind being hated, as long as I am respected. You might not understand it, since you grew up in an average family, but I belong to Japanese nobility. Respect is everything to me. I have a fragile body, but my spirit is strong, and I want everybody to know it. I am a woman who wants to gain more than the system has to offer. I want to steal the fame from the men of the upper spheres and make them acknowledge me as equal to them. I cannot allow myself any weakness, Bunjiro. If being hated is a price for being respected, then I am ready to pay it"

Bunji was frustrated. The feudal system. It was always about the feudal system. About women's rights and all that stuff. He didn't like it at all.

"You don't have to be martyr, you know"

"Enough of this" she didn't let him continue "You don't understand. I'll try to bear the cultural differences between us in mind, and I expect you to do the same. You can argue with me, but never disrespect me. I am your older sister. Don't forget it"

"I'll never forget it" he said, deciding to give up. He didn't feel like forcing her to change so drastically "I just wish I could help you somehow"

"Respect me. That's all I ask of you" she replied, seeming a little less gloomy than a while before. Bunji felt he handled her well this time. He only had to be patient and watch his tongue. He still could make things right. Well, some of them.

"I see you're enjoying yourselves" Meg said, appearing next to them "I'm sorry to disturb, but it's my turn to watch over Kari. You Bunji can go and play now" she announced. Bunji didn't want to go. He felt there were a lot of other visions he could experience with Kari. He was so curious of finding out more. But then, if he tells Meg to leave them alone, he'll have to explain it to her, and Kari wanted to keep it a secret.

"You've heard her, Bunji" Kari told her brother "You go play with your brothers. It will do you good. Our conversation must've taken a lot of your mental energy" she said. Bunji understood. Perhaps she was right. They should let their minds rest a little. Besides, Meg was sure to take a good care of her. They could talk about the usual girlie stuff. That might be a good idea.

"Okay then" Bunji stood up "See you later, Nee-san" and so, he left the two girls alone.

"So, Kari" Meg sat next to the Japanese girl "Now that we are alone, with no guys around, we can talk about really important stuff"

Kari sighed. This is going to be difficult.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's Notes: No notes this time. Apart from that I have already planned a sequel to this, most probably to be called "A village in the mountains". The "What hurts the most" will be next. I'll continue it once the previous two are finished.


	9. Chapter 9

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 9: Talking it over

After each of the Bennett siblings has had their watch over Kari, their parents came to them and suggested lunch. Everybody approved of the idea, as they were all hungry. The family proceeded to a fast food booth and took their places by one of the nearby tables.

"So, kids" Jack started, when they were eating their respective hamburgers "Did you have a good time?"

"Sure thing!" replied Bunji.

"Much better, than we expected" agreed JD.

"And you, Kari?" Helen asked the guest "Did you enjoy the hospitality this time?"

"Yes, Bunji and the rest were nice to me" Kari confirmed. So far, she seemed relaxed. That was a huge progress.

"You were much nicer to us too" Eric pointed out "Even if we didn't have much common interests to talk about"

"Yeah, sport isn't my domain" the girl admitted. She took a bottle of cola and attempted to open it, but the cap didn't move. Frustrated, the girl tried harder, with no results. Seeing her struggles, Bunji, who was sitting next to her, took the bottle from her and opened it with one move. He then handled it back. Kari looked at him with a sort of irritation, but took the bottle nonetheless.

"Thanks" she mumbled.

"You're welcome" he smiled.

"You were right, sport isn't your domain" Eric said, amused. He too received a stare of irritation from the girl.

"Her domain is History and Art" announced JD "We had an intellectual conversation, and Kari told me about the historic figures she admires. She is planning to illustrate their lives in the form of comic books"

Everybody seemed impressed by the idea. Feeling their interest in her project, Kari gained confidence and decided to show off a little.

"First to go is Ume Tsuda" she started "Born on 31st December 1864, died on 17th August 1929. Changed her name to Umeko on 5th November 1902. In 1871, she was sent to USA on a special scholarship, along with four other girls, to study, in order to improve the women's education system in Japan in the future. Returned in 1882, having graduated from Georgetown Collegiate Institute and Archer Institute…" within the following couple of minutes, Kari summarized the entire biography of her idol, the first leader of the Japanese YWCA, who founded the American Scholarship for Japanese Women and Joshi Eigaku Juku (now known as the Tsuda's College), the first American-style women's college in Japan. Everybody could tell that she was emotional about it and held a great deal of respect for Ume Tsuda. After all, Kari presented herself as an intelligent person with vast knowledge. This was enough to make up for the image of an emotionally unstable, antisocial individualist, which she had left in the minds of her hosts before.

"Wow, that's impressive, Nee-san" Bunji congratulated his sister.

"Feel free to shame yourself, Bunji" JD told him "You didn't even know, who was the first man to step onto the moon" this remark really made Bunji ashamed.

"Okay, I didn't. So what? That's not my field of interest" he defended himself "Besides, not everybody can be a genius like you, JD"

"Well, I am serious about my education, that's all" replied JD modestly "High IQ is useless, unless you study hard"

"But IQ is important too" Kari cut in "My friend Kuro-kun has an IQ of 66 and he could never do well at school"

"You mean the boy in pink?" Bunji asked.

"Yes. His name is Tomoki Kuroda, but I call him Kuro-kun" Kari confirmed.

"Poor guy. With such a low IW, he really must have a hard life" JD expressed pity for the boy in pink.

"Not at all" Meg disagreed "Kari told me about him. He is a musician and has already completed his first CD! That's mega-ultra-cool!"

"I'd say it's tragic" Kari confronted her "Kuro-kun might be a good musician, but the truth he is simply had no choice. With such poor grades, he'd never make it to college. Becoming a pop star is his only chance to make a living"

"That really is tragic" Eric agreed "But I think he could make it to the college. Here in the US, even the dumbest guys can graduate college, provided they do well in sports and win lots of games"

"Which is unfair, if you ask me" Meg cut in "Some people have to study in order to get a degree. No golden medal will ever match actual knowledge"

"You got it!" Kari agreed willingly "There has to be some justice! We need no brainless brutes occupying schools"

"Being good at sport doesn't mean being brainless" Eric felt offended.

"I wouldn't be so sure" Meg teased him "You and Bunji are not the best examples"

"Agreed" Kari supported Meg. It seemed like the two girls were starting to form a coalition against their brothers and were enjoying it. Bunji and Eric were annoyed.

"Some sisters you are" Eric criticized the girls. He wasn't going to tolerate being made fun of and he wanted them to be aware of it.

"I'm excused" Kari said innocently "I'm a half-sister" she reminded.

"Or a full sister" Bunji told her "Remember what your father said"

"I'd rather not" Kari became uneasy "Darn it, if he isn't my father, I swear I'm gonna pee on the Bitch's grave"

"Could you please use a less vulgar word to refer to her?" Helen pleaded, disturbed "She was your mother"

"WAS, well said" Kari became sarcastic "An egg cell donor, that's what she was for me. But most of all, she was an unfaithful, ungrateful Bitch. It all started because she was going to bed with two men over the same time period. Nice role model she was, sure thing"

"There you go again" Bunji sighed "I thought we agreed you would chill out"

"Besides" JD cut in "I think that it is very unlikely that Bunji's father was also yours"

Everybody's attention went to him.

"Just think" JD went on "First of all, you are older than Bunji. By the time you were conceived, your mother must've been in relationship with your father, otherwise he wouldn't believe you could be his. Now, let's assume she was dating Bunji's father at the same time. He would've noticed the pregnancy and want to keep you if you were his child. Of course, as a martial arts master, he had to travel abroad to participate in tournaments, so you might've been born during his absence. Your mother may have attempted to hide the pregnancy from him, especially if she wasn't sure, who the father really was. However, pregnancy becomes visible at 3rd or 4th month, which means he would have to be out of Japan for over half a year, which is unlikely. Thus, you have to be the daughter of Tsutomu Mazaki. I believe your mother met Bunji's father, Hideo, after you were born, and managed to keep your existence in secret. She feared his reaction to her having a child with another man. She then continued the relationships with both men, until she became pregnant again. At that point, she had to decide, whom she wants to be with. I suppose she knew, whose child it was, and chose to stay with his father. Still, she couldn't tell Hideo about you, nor could she leave your father alone just like this. I think she was feeling guilty because of her unfaithfulness. So, she left you with him, as both consolation for him and punishment for herself. That is my theory and I believe it is the most probable version of what has happened"

Everybody considered his story for a moment. What he has said seemed to make sense. The age difference between Bunji and Kari was in favor of the theory and so was Hideo's character. He was a man of honor. If Kari was his child, he would not let any other man raise her. He couldn't have known of the girl's existence. At first, emotions didn't let them come to the right conclusion, but now it all was making sense. Accept for one little element.

"Hey, didn't that Tsutomu guy say he was barren?" Eric reminded. Yes, it was an important factor they had to consider.

"He said he has just recently discovered he was barren" JD précised "Which doesn't mean he was barren from the start. Many men are incapable of having children at such age, especially when they don't care for their health and have stressful jobs" with that, he turned to the Japanese girl "How it is with your father, Kari?"

"Well, he does work a lot" she admitted "He is the director of the Designs Department at his company, that's a huge responsibility. I'd say he is a typical businessman. As for the health... he used to smoke a lot most of his life. And he has been catching more infections than usual over the last year. Yes, now that I think about it, he isn't as healthy as he used to be"

"And how old is he?"

"47"

"There. It all checks" JD stated, glad that his theory proved to be right "Age and stress made him barren. Simple as that"

"So I have no reasons to worry?" Kari asked, wanting to make sure.

"I don't think so. I'm hardly ever wrong" JD stated, clearly proud of having solved the mystery.

"This is not a test is science, JD" Bunji decided to play on JD's ambition a little more "We have to be 100 percent sure"

"Well, with a bit of luck, I could confirm the paternity for you" JD suggested "All I need to know are your parents' blood groups"

"I'm the 0 type, just like father and the Bitch" Kari informed him "Only that he is has Rh- and we Rh+"

"Fine. Bunji, you are the B type, and your father…?"

"The royal AB" Bunji said with pride.

"Great. Now I know everything" JD was pleased with the gained information "First of all, Bunji could not be the son of Tsutomu. When both parents have the 0 blood group, that's the only blood group their children can inherit. Secondly, when one of the parents has the 0 blood group and the other the AB blood group, their children can have either A or B. Thus, Kari can't be the daughter of Hideo. Like I said, as simple as that"

"Are you sure?"

"My brain might be wrong, but not the rules of Genetics. Provided you told me the truth about your blood groups, we can be 100 percent sure"

Finally, it was all clear. Genetics could never be wrong. The fatherhood of both men was confirmed, without the need of a DNA test.

"Yakatta ()" now Kari could allow herself a real relief "I gotta call Oto-san and tell him"

"You can call him on our way back" Jack suggested "I suppose we shall we getting going"

"Or maybe you'd rather tell him in person?" Helen submitted.

"Oh, I don't know. I think I'll call. I don't want him to suffer longer than necessary. It must be so hard on him"

"I wouldn't be so sure" Eric expressed his doubts "If you ask me, he didn't act as if he cared"

Suddenly, tension has returned to the gathering. Could anything else be wrong?

"What do you mean?" Kari asked him.

"I mean the way he treated you" Eric explained "As if you were invisible, as if you weren't there. He told us you might not be his and wasn't even looking at you, no matter how hard you tried to gain his attention. He deliberately ignored you. In the end, he dumped you with us, even though you didn't want to. That's not the way a father should be treating his daughter"

"My father loves me" Kari protested, annoyed by what he told her "If he was reserved, then it only means he was in deep pain. In my family, we don't let our emotions take over us. He hide them under indifference. We descendent from samurai and would rather lose our life than out honor. I know you don't understand, but we are not allowed to be direct. The less people can tell from your behavior, the better. My father and I are just typical, high sphere Japanese. We can't help it" she explained. Eric didn't seem convinced.

"Those high spheres must be sick then"

"Eric! A little respect for the foreign culture!" Helen scolded.

"No, he is right" Kari said "Our high spheres are far from normal. My grandfather thinks father dishonored the family, because he cried during his mother's funeral. That is sick, seriously"

"Okay, let's not talk about it" suggested Bunji "Let's just get going. It was a busy day for all of us"

With that, everybody had to agree. They were all tired and wanted to go home. Without further arguments, they proceeded to get changed, find their car and head for home.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's Notes: Shitty chapter, since it consists in 99 percent of dialogues. But there was no need for more, I guess. Might edit it, but is not willing to do so. Read and review and I'll do the rest. BTW I've placed some character sheets on Deviant Art. Not that good, but will give you the basic idea how my chars looks like. Try:

H t t p : / / g r e a t m a r t a . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m /


	10. Chapter 10

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 10: Just a little change

In the end, Kari decided to call Tsutomu after they get home. She felt, that the car wasn't a very comfortable setting for such a talk, and the Bennetts agreed with her. They suspected the girl would like to have some privacy when talking to her father, which was impossible on the way. Even if none of them spoke Japanese (accept for Bunji, of course), their presence might've been disturbing.

As soon as they arrived home, Kari went to a separate room and called Tsutomu. Meanwhile, the Bennetts were waiting in the living room. They were curious, what Mr. Mazaki's reaction would be. Especially Eric was worried. He imagined their guest returning to them crying or furious because of her father's lack of enthusiasm or open disappointment. As much as he found the girls, especially his sister, annoying, he believed they were just as much human as men were. He couldn't help it but hate Tsutomu, who treated his daughter like a trash. Such ignorance was beyond his understanding. What was weirder, Kari loved her father and claimed he loved her too. Eric knew love may be blind, but that was just ridiculous.

"Does anybody else think, that her father is a jerk?" the blond boy asked his family. Their attention went to him. His siblings seemed interested and his parents a little irritated.

"Eric, we shouldn't…" Helen wanted to scold him, but he didn't let her finish.

"We have the constitutional right to speak our mind, so that's what we'll do. I mean, just think. He dumps her on our heads all of a sudden, and instead of a goodbye, he tells her he might not be her father. What sort of a sick behavior is that?"

"Eric is right" Meg immediately supported her brother "That Tsutomu is a mega-monster! If he acts like this in front of people, and in a foreign country, he must be even worse in the daily life in Japan" she said, expressing anxiety "Poor Kari"

Bunji lowered his head. He should say something, he knew. But he was confused. On one hand, he remembered the indifference Tsutomu showed towards Kari, and how much pain it caused her. On the other hand, he couldn't ignore the fact that the man stood up to his entire family to be able to keep his daughter and raise her on his own. To make sure she doesn't grow up to be a blindly obedient servant of the clan. This made Bunji believe, that his mother's ex wasn't a bad man, and surely not the as bad father as he considered him to be. Should he tell his family? Would Kari mind if he did? He had no idea.

"Don't you think you're overdoing this?" JD asked suddenly, saving Bunji from entering the discussion, at least for now. It was a relief for the Asian boy to know, that his Afro-American brother found the discussion pointless and unnecessary. Unfortunately, his other brother did not.

"Oh come on" the blond boy turned to his dark skinned brother "Don't tell me you find the way he treats her okay"

"I do not" JD protested "But bragging about it isn't okay either. We have already agreed, that we don't like Mr. Mazaki, there is no need to keep pushing it. What good will it do if we keep on slandering him? Nothing at all. And it surely won't help Kari"

"Now that is the voice of reason" Jack praised his oldest son "It is not wise to judge somebody, whom we barely know"

"Especially since he's a foreigner" JD added "Remember what Kari said: being reserved is his way of dealing with pain. People from the East think in a different way than we do on the West and we have to try to understand them" JD's arguments were rational. Still, that didn't speak to Eric.

"I am willing to understand foreigners who are normal" the baseball fan went on "Take Momo, for example. She is a little crazy about traditions, self-discipline and respect for elders, not to mention believing in ghosts, but apart from that, she's perfectly likeable. My point is, that there are various kinds of people among all cultures, and that no culture is an excuse for inhuman behavior"

At this point, Bunji stood up. It was more than he could take!

"Alright, that's it!" he exclaimed suddenly, coming in front of Eric "One more word and I swear I'll get out of myself! I won't let anybody offend my family, not even you!" he threatened. Everybody was shocked with Bunji's annoyance. Of all of them, he had the most reasons to hate Tsutomu, and he didn't want to talk about it? He even seemed to be somehow defending him, which was a great surprise. Maybe he knew something they didn't? Or was it his Japanese blood showing?

"Geez, take it easy" Eric tried calming his brother down "I have nothing against Kari, it's just that her father…"

"Her father was born into a pathological family!" Bunji yelled "A family, who remains faithful to the feudal model! In which men hold all the power and women are nothing more than brainless slaves! Despite all of this, he raised his daughter to be a self-confident, self-sufficient person, who speaks her mind regardless of the possible consequences and has guts the size of Mexico!" he roared with more and more determination and his family was in greater and greater shock "He could've given her up after our mother left him, you know! His sister was willing to raise her for him, but he didn't allow her! He didn't want his daughter to become another sweet idiot! Everything she is she owes to him, so if you want to question his love for her, fire away! Then I'll show you just how inhuman a Japanese can be!" he shouted on top of his lungs, scarring the soul out Eric. The blond boy felt, as if he was standing in front of a mighty shogun, a fearless war lord, so much different than his careless, humorous brother. The change was so striking, that he couldn't believe it. He suddenly felt a desire to apologize for all his sins, for anything that might've enraged Bunji over their lifetime, regardless of whose fault it really was. He'd do everything just to escape from this gaze, this piercing, murderous gaze of an offended samurai. Even though he was taller than Bunji, he suddenly felt as small as a mouse.

The silence was broke by a sudden clapping . They've heard it. They turned in fear. They saw Kari, leaning against a wall, trying to clap, while holding a mobile phone in one hand. She seemed amused, maybe even proud. A soft smile brightened her face.

"Well done, Bunji" she spoke to her brother "That was the true spirit of Japan. I think I may start admitting you being my brother after all" the last remark was supposed to be humorous, but the Bennetts were far from amused.

"Since when were you eavesdropping?!" Bunji asked in a panicked voice "How much did you hear?!"

"Enough to be proud of you" she kept on smiling "Good thing my mobile phone has a dictaphone function. Your speech will make a perfect ringtone" she announced, waving her mobile phone in front of herself. It seemed that she wasn't hurt by anything she's heard from their argument, but they couldn't be sure. Japanese are good at hiding their true feelings.

"Geez, Kari, I'm sorry!" Eric preferred to apologize rather than risk another eruption of Japanese wrath "I didn't mean to offend you, I swear!"

"It's okay, Eric. I accept your apology" she assured him and turned to JD "JD, my father said he wants you to explain those genetics to him once he comes here. He is curious of the method that allowed to confirm his fatherhood without the DNA test"

"It will be my pleasure" JD stated, feeling a great pride of his knowledge "I'm glad I could help you"

"So, when can we expect your father?" Helen asked.

"In about two hours" Kari replied "There still is something he must do, but he said he will hurry"

"Perfect!" Meg exclaimed "That gives us enough time to prepare you!"

"Prepare me?" Kari was surprised. It seemed that Meg had something bigger upon her sleeve, cause she was extremely excited.

"Come with me!" she grabbed the guest's arm "I'm gonna show you some ultra-cool things that make the lives of women more enjoyable!" she announced. Kari was starting to worry about her safety. The adults and the boys seemed amused.

"Just make sure you don't kill her, Meg" Eric warned his sister, grinning at her "Or else Bunji will kill you"

"Well I'm gonna kill you if you dare to interrupt!" Meg growled at him, insulted "Come, Kari, we've got a lot to do!" with that, she pulled the Japanese girl and proceeded towards the exit. Before they disappeared from the room, they've heard Bunji shouting:

"We'll make sure to drop by at your funeral, Nee-san!" followed by the laughter of JD and Eric. Kari wished she knew what was coming.

Meg dragged her victim to one of the bathrooms and locked the door. The "fun" was about to begin.

"Undress yourself " she ordered.

"What for?"

"You've got some hair to remove"

"Well, excuse me" Kari protested "I DO shave my legs and armpits"

"Alright, but you don't do it carefully enough" Meg explained her point "What do you use for depilation?"

"My father's shaving machine"

"I hope it's not the same machine he shaves himself with. People mustn't share such a private device with anybody. You could be passing your bacteria onto each other" Meg scolded, taking the role of a strict teacher. Kari didn't like it.

"What exactly do you suggest I should do?"

"Undress yourself and then we'll talk" Meg demanded. Kari sighed and took her shirt and shorts off, remaining in underwear. Meanwhile, Meg pulled a brightly colored box from one of the numerous cupboards. The box contained o few long layers of salmon colored plasters.

"Sit down" Meg pointed a small, plastic chair. After her victim fulfilled the command, she sticked a plaster to each of her legs "This will remove ALL of the hair for a whole month!" she explained. Kari remained skeptic about the idea. She noticed that Meg was regarding her intimate area and it disturbed her.

"What now?" she demanded, blushing.

"We should take care of your bikini areas as well"

"No way in hell!" the Japanese revolted "I've done it once, and it itched so badly I thought I'll go crazy! Never again!"

"But it's for the esthetic values!" Meg tried to reason with her "It looks horrible when the hair is showing in there!"

"I don't care! Men don't shave their pubic hair, so why the hell should I do that?!"

"Well, maybe because you wouldn't stink so much if you did?"

"You're saying I stink?!"

"I'm saying you're a woman and it's about time you started to behave like one!"

"Get lost!"

"Get real!"

"Make me!"

"There you go!" with one sudden move, Meg pulled the plaster from Kari's right leg off, which resulted in an inhuman scream.

"WHAAAAAAAH!!!!" the victim cried as her eyes multiplied their size. The pain was unbearable! So sudden and so deep! As if Meg was ripping her apart!

"Perfect!" Meg cried triumphaly "No hair remained!" but Kari could barely hear anything different than her own heartbeat. She still had problems catching her breath. Dear God, that was a horror!

"That's crazy" she spoke, trembling "Who'd be crazy enough to do this more than once?"

"Now the other one!" Meg announced. Before her victim could protest, her throat was filled with another cry of pain, even louder than the first one. She shouldn't have asked!

Meanwhile, unknowingly to the girls, their brothers sat in front of the bathroom door and were enjoying the show they were providing.

"Seems they're having fun" Bunji concluded.

"Indeed they are" Eric agreed.

"Wonder who'll drive whom crazy first"

"Meg may be tough when she's pissed. Seems Kari's finally met her match"

"I bet Nee-san will freak out before they reach the make-up stage"

"Talking bets" JD entered the conversation "Let me remind you guys, that you still owe me money for the Kari-Sparky bet"

"We owe you nothing" Bunji told him "You didn't say how much money you were betting against us, so your prediction doesn't count"

"Well, at least I was right" JD reminded "As usual" he added with a smirk.

"You better watch it, genius" Eric warned him "Meg's not the only one who knows how to torture people"

"And just what do you think you're doing?!" a sudden shout demanded their attention. They saw their mother, standing in the hallway with folded arms. She wasn't very pleased.

"Nothing" Bunji told her. She didn't buy it.

"Meg told you not to interrupt" she reminded her sons.

"We're not interrupting" Eric assured "We're just sitting here" JD and Bunji nodded, smiling. It didn't help them much.

"Then go sit somewhere else" Helen remained firm "Your sisters need privacy. You have to respect it. Now, get moving" she demanded. Sighing, the boys got up and removed themselves from her view. They regretted having to miss all this fun, but knew better than to argue with their mother. She would always take the side of Meg. Women's solidarity.

Occasionally, the girls would yell so loud, that boys would be able to hear them despite the further distance, which made them happy. As least they got to hear some really juicy parts.

"Don't put that thing in my eye!"

"Stop blinking!"

"I can't help it! It's self defense!"

"I'm not going to hurt you!"

"I'm going to hurt you if you don't stop this madness!"

"Madness?! I'm trying to shape your eyelashes!"

"Shape your brain!"

"Shut up!"

Or:

"What the hell is this?!"

"That's a dress for you!"

"You gotta be kidding!"

"I know it's a little too big for you, but it's the best I…"

"I'd rather die than wear it!"

"Don't be silly!"

"Don't make me laugh!"

And so, the time went by. They were able to tell, that although Kari protested, Meg had somehow managed to force her to cooperate. It might've been hard for the Japanese to deal with the typically female stuff, but maybe that was exactly what she needed. To discover, that she was able to do it. That it wasn't as scary as it seemed. Probably, she kept on screaming just for the rule, to maintain her image as a tough person. Whatever her feelings were, she was not going to admit them anyway.

Finally, Meg invited the entire family to admire the results of her work. So, they all gathered in front of the bathroom door, excited and curious.

"Alright, Kari!" Meg called, knocking at the door "You can come out now!"

"Do I REALLY have to?" a desperate question answered her. Obviously, the victim was ashamed of becoming the centre of attention. Especially under those circumstances.

"You have no choice!" Meg confirmed. She enjoyed being the one with power. The one, who conquered the dragon and made it into a pet. This was really something.

A loud sigh reached their ears.

"Alright, here I go" announced Kari, as down as if she was getting ready for an execution. Finally, she opened the door and appeared in front of her hosts. They drew in a quick breath and stood still in amazement.

First thing that shouted for attention was the hair. A little rough before, it was perfectly clean and suspiciously shiny now. Meg left no matting, having combed it to the structure of delicate silk. The essence of full black color and subtle lighting effects, that could only be showed in the hair of the Asians, was reached and exposed.

Secondly, the face. Meg had somehow managed to put in some make-up, just enough to pour some color into Kari's pale face, making it look softer and healthier. The eyes, surrounded by longed, fattened eyelashes, seemed bigger and more expressive now. A bit of glimmering mascara created a wonderful background for the dark sparkling irises. The lips, barely visible before, have been painted juicy red and decorated with an extra layer of diamond-like glitter. Those were the lips, that encourage passionate kissing.

The whole was completed by a simple, red dress on thin shoulder straps. Finding the right clothing was a problem, since Kari was much shorter than Meg and had a generally delicate posture, but the American girl managed to shorten the straps and find a matching belt to shape the excess of material in the waist area. Overall, the effect was pleasant for the eye. On top of that, Kari was a little embarrassed and anxious, which only made her seem more feminine. A real, fragile, porcelain doll.

"So…" the doll whispered in a shy voice, so much different than her usual tone "How bad is this?"

"Are you kidding? You look great!" Bunji exclaimed in happiness.

"Terrific!" Eric supported him "Seriously, you look like a princess!"

"I second that vote!" JD agreed.

"Meg, you overwent yourself!" Helen congratulated her daughter "The result is astonishing!"

"It sure is! Well done!" Jack clapped his hands. His wife and sons followed, cheering up for the stylist and the model. The model blushed and the stylist was as proud as ever.

"See?" she turned to Kari "Your father's jaw is gonna drop when he sees you!"

"That's precisely what I'm worried about" replied Kari, regaining her usual control of emotions "He says it's idiotic to dress up like this"

"Oh, it can't be that bad" Helen assured "Men always appreciate beauty"

"Of course we do!" confirmed Jack "I'm always happy to see my daughter in some pretty clothes"

"Oh, really?" Meg turned on the daddy's little girl mode "Then maybe you could reconsider your decision concerning that mega-cute, mega-fashionable skirt I showed you last week?" she asked sweetly, presenting her most puppy eyes to Jack. He smirked at her, amused.

"Oh, you mean that ugly, tattered belt? Sorry, Pumpkin, but I'd sooner let you go out in pajamas than in that thing"

"But daddy!" Meg cried, switching to the begging tone "It's the latest fashion!"

"It may be so in your room, but nowhere else" Jack wasn't going to give up "I hope I won't have to repeat myself, Meg"

"Oh, that so mega-sucks!" the girl grumped, crossing her arms and using all the body language tricks to expose her irritation. Instead of gaining a serious appearance, she started to remind her family of a small, spoiled child. Everybody thought it was funny and laughed sincerely. Even Kari lost her uneasiness and giggled. Yes, that family wasn't as bad as she thought at the beginning. In fact, she was enjoying being with them. Even her brother wasn't as bad as she supposed he would be. Her brother, who has just turned to meet her sight. He was amused. It encouraged her to laugh openly with the rest of his adoptive family. But her laugh brought a change to his face. He looked at her with more attention. With curiosity and a pleasant surprise. It confused her.

"Nani?" she asked him. He smiled softly.

"Nee-san-wa Kaa-san-to onaji" he replied. She should feel insulted. At least disturbed. The same as their mother? That's how she looks like? That's what he thinks? No. She can't. Not the same as the Bitch. She still hates her. But maybe a little less than before… no. Some stupid vision won't change the entire life. It can't be that easy. Yet, she is not going to argue. Not now. Not when everybody's happy.

Not when she can hear the sound of the engine she knows so well.

Tsutomu has arrived.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's Notes: At first, I was going to put the encounter with Tsutomu in here too, but that would make too much different themes in one chapter (you can tell, it's going to be harsh). Also, I just love to create the tension. One thing you can expect from the next chapter: a great secret concerning Tsutomu will be revealed.

BTW I totally forgot the translation from the previous chapter, so I'll place it here:

-kun – A Japanese suffix you add to the names of people, who are of the same or lower rank than you are, most commonly your friends. Usually used for boys, but can be used towards girls, who behave like boys.

Yakatta – Thanks God/ What a relief/ etc.

Nani? – What?

Nee-san-wa Kaa-san-to onaji – Sister is the same as mother (since Bunji used it talking to his own sister, it translates as "You are the same as mother")


	11. Chapter 11

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 11: Chichi-no Chi

Tsutomu Mazaki was starting to doubt the plan he had prepared before coming to America. Partly because of the pain, which seemed to be increasing much faster than he estimated it would. Partly because of the gaijin, whose knowledge of genetics prevented him from getting hold of Hikari's blood sample without her finding out his true motives. But most of all, he was starting to realize, just how much his daughter will hate him for what he was doing to her. When she finds out, that is.

No. He can't think like that. He knows what is best for his daughter. It is his responsibility to make sure she will be able to live in safety, away from that pseudo-samurai clan of jerks. Without him to defend her, they would be free to use her for political reasons. He had to prevent it from happening. Even if she hates him for this, he had to do it. To do the right thing.

Having turned off the engine, Tsutomu went out of the vehicle. He still had about two months. That's enough to complete his plan. Even if there are complications, he will find a way to go past them. He always managed to finish what he had started. After all, he was Tsutomu – the one, who does his best.

When he entered the house, that family – the Bennetts – greeted him warmly. But he was able to see past their friendliness. They didn't like him. There was this negative fluid coming from their small gestures and faked expressions of happiness. The people of the West had no idea, how to mask their true feelings. A man of the East, like Tsutomu, could read them like an open book. They, on the other hand, had no idea of what was going on inside of him. It gave him a certain advantage. This fact cheered him up a little. He could be sure those people will never figure out he was using them and their culture as a background for his plan. Pulling such a thing up would've been much harder in Japan.

"How waseh Hikari doin? I hope she causeh no problems" he said, cursing his katakana-ized English. More directly, he was cursing his father, who forbade him watching English TV channels and made sure he was taught by Japanese teachers only. Because of that old racist, he could never develop the right pronunciation. Even years of making business with Americans couldn't defeat the habits learned during the childhood. Actually, Tsutomu considered it a miracle, that he was able to communicate with those people at all.

"Oh, she was doing great" the gaijin woman assured "Your daughter is such an intelligent young person, she's a pleasure to be with"

"Right she is!" her children confirmed. Tsutomu nodded. Of course, what else could they tell him? Even if Hikari drove them to the edge of reason, they had to pretend everything was okay. At least this part of etiquette was the same for both sides of the world.

"Thateh iseh good" he replied. He allowed himself to take a closer look at the gaijin woman. She looked pretty well for her age – he assumed, she must be at least 40 – but the eye color made her totally unattractive to him. He didn't have anything against the White race, but he didn't like people with light eyes. He couldn't help it but find them unnatural. This discomfort he felt while looking at them was stronger than his sensibility. Fortunately, he was able to hide it.

"We had a lot of fun with Nee-san!" that boy, his daughter's half-brother, came before him "She was reserved at first, but now we're the best of friends! Just the way she should've been from the start!" he claimed. Right, thought Tsutomu, you should've been. Just like you should've been my son. But that doesn't matter anymore. It's all in the past and we must focus on the future now.

"I am happy to heareh iteh" Tsutomu stated, regarding the boy. A healthy young man with a handsome face and an open mind. Tsutomu wandered, how would his life look like if he had adopted the boy back then, after the martial artist, his father, had gone missing. That way, his family would've gained a successor, and he would have a son he had always wanted. But he was too proud. To proud to raise a child not of his own. The living evidence of his loss. The living evidence of his foolishness and inhumanity. He was glad when he found out, that this child was taken in by a family in America. He found some strange satisfaction in the fact, that the son of his ex, which was not his own, will have to grow up away from home, among white people with blue eyes, and become an Americanized disgrace to the entire Japanese nation. A bigger disgrace than he already was for Tsutomu.

Back then, Tsutomu couldn't see past his pride and supposed to be honor. But he came to realize he needed that boy. Even if he wasn't his son, he remained his daughter's closest male relative. Brought up in US, the country of free people. Yes, the people of the West were not barbarians, not what Tsutomu's family made him believe they were. Those people were free, not bounded by the feudal system. The families were not ruled by old, selfish bastards. Nobody could be forced into an arranged marriage. Nobody had to bow to their ancestors. Those people were free to care for themselves, without having to worry about the rest of their family. Tsutomu has finally realized, that there was a point to this. Bunjiro, who knew both the East and the West, has become the perfect guardian for Hikari. Exactly the type of guardian she was going to need very soon. It couldn't have been more perfect. Apart from the inevitable, which he had to face.

"Just wait till you see her!" the blonde girl, the gaijins' daughter, exclaimed. Similarly to light eyes, light hair made Tsutomu feel uneasy "I've transformed her into a mega-princess!"

Somehow, the "mega-princess" part made Tsutomu seriously worried.

"Kari! Come here!" the blonde girl called "Your father wants to see you!" oh yes, he wanted to see her. In the same state she was this morning. But he had a feeling that was not going to happen.

Nothing in the world could've prepared him for the shock that hit him when he saw his daughter. There she was, wearing a red dress, with a make-up on her face and a shy, sensitive look. His narrow eyes reached the size of two tennis balls. His heart froze. The amazement was so great, that it seemed to have stopped the time. That subtle beauty. That naïve, delicate aura surrounding her. The mixture of fear and hope in her eyes. The clear essence of what the men of Japan considered feminine, desirably weak and fragile.

That wasn't Hikari Mazaki. That woman was not the strong, bad-tempered , independent person he called daughter. That woman was weak, shy and meek, scarred of everything and everybody.

The woman in front of him was Hikari Kawai.

Seeing her caused him a heartache. Brought the memories of that woman. Her fragile body, subtle smell, the way she shivered in his arms, the feeling of her breath on his skin. The disgust he felt when looking at her, begging for his mercy. The power he had upon her. The faith in his own strength of character and her blind obedience. The complete and utter lack of respect for this person, who proved to have had greater guts than he thought she could have. The effort he put into making sure his daughter would grow up to be the opposite of her mother. The fear of his little girl becoming what her mother was – a slave, a shadow of a human, dependable of somebody, who thought of her as of a trash. The pain of knowing how much she needed his guidance and how little time he had left. The frustration of seeing his beloved daughter ruining all the hard work he has put into her upbringing and becoming the spitting image of that whinny, making his worst nightmare come true.

"What have you done?" he spoke, not really knowing whom to "What the fuck have you done to my daughter?!" he demanded, turning to the gaijins. They were looking at him, as if he was crazy. Of course. He has just realized, he spoke in Japanese. They couldn't understand. But that didn't matter.

Hikari made a step towards him. The little slut.

"Father" she spoke in Japanese. With that freaking, shy tone, so typical for her mother "I can explain" she said. But he didn't want any explanations. He wanted to scream. So badly that it scared him.

Tsutomu has never felt as furious as he was feeling now. He was burning with anger. He wanted to throw himself at the woman in front of him. To put that little ingrate over his lap and beat all the foolishness out of her ass. To murder those freaking gaijins, who made her do this. To burn their house to ashes. To puke his own lungs and batter them, till he got rid of all the crap they contained. Madness. That was all he had left.

He just had to explode.

"You little piece of shit!" he roared at his daughter "What the fuck is this supposed to mean?! What on Earth have you done?!"

"It was her idea!" she pointed the blonde girl, panicking. Good. He wanted her to be scared. To be freaking frightened.

"I don't give a shit!" he went on "Have you forgotten what I taught you?! Nobody will treat you seriously if you dress up like this! They will be so concentrated on your body, that they won't be able to notice your soul! Do you want to be judged for the size of your ass, Hikari?! Don't you want to be respected for your intelligence and spirit?! Don't you fucking understand what I've been telling you your entire life?!" he yelled, and she trembled. She shivered in fear. He saw it in her eyes, she wanted to beg him to stop. Which only meant he had to keep on yelling.

"Father, I'm sorry!" his daughter cried. He ignored it.

His chest was starting to hurt. He ignored it as well.

"You will be sorry when someone decides to take advantage of your weakness! You won't even know before you have to beg for mercy! Before you turn into a miserable bug, into dust at somebody's feet, into the mirror reflexion of your mother!"

"Alright, that's it!" Bunjiro exclaimed, coming between Tsutomu and the frightened girl. He was seriously pissed "I had enough of your bragging, old man! And to think I defended you in front of my family, it makes me wanna puke!" the boy yelled and the man growled. What an insolent brat.

"Stay out of this!" Tsutomu demanded. The pain in his chest worsened, which only made him angrier. It didn't affect Bunjiro. He was not going to give in.

"Not after you've insulted my sister! Who the hell do you think you are to treat her like this?! How can you be so cruel?! It's no crime to put on a dress and get some make-up! It's just normal!"

Hikari tried to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Bunjiro! Don't…!"

"No!" he shouted at her "Sister, you asked me to protect you, and that's what I'm going to do! I'm going to make that bastard father of yours apologize! To you and to mother!"

The pain became so bad Tsutomu had to grab his chest. The left side of it, the one that carried the curse. Hopefully, they won't notice it hurts him. Most of them didn't even understand Japanese, they were out of discussion. Only the insolent brat remained.

"Apologize?! What the hell for?! For telling the truth?! For being a responsible father?! For wanting to make sure my daughter doesn't do anything stupid?!" he roared, almost praying the brat would finally give in. He was tired of it. Tired of the pain he had to endure. Of having to argue with the boy, who should've been his son. Of having to live up to the expectations of his family. Of being unable to do everything he wanted to do. Of being the one they all will hate in the end.

"Now, hold it!" that man, the head of the gaijin family, decided to disturb them "I have no vaguest idea what is going on between you, but I'm sure as hell it's not going in the right direction! So stop it and calm down!" he demanded. Bunjiro seemed to struggle with what he should do now, but Tsutomu wasn't going to calm down. Not at the order of a gaijin.

"Jack is right" the gaijin woman spoke up "Mister Mazaki, I don't know what has made you so angry, but I'm sure we will be able to talk it over. There is no need for violence" she made a step towards Tsutomu. He could no longer bear the frustration burning inside of him.

"Stay away from me, you fucking foreigner!" he yelled at her. He shouldn't. But he couldn't control himself anymore. Not in this state. Not when it hurt so much.

Not when Bunjiro's fist smashed his chest.

Not when the blood from his lungs cannoned through his wind pipe into his mouth.

He tried to cover his mouth with his hand, but the pressure was too big. The cough overwhelmed him, his body went numb. He fell on the floor, coughing and choking with blood. Everybody froze. He couldn't stop it. He couldn't breathe. He coughed the blood out, gasping for some air, praying for relief. Not now, not yet, no!

"Father!" his daughter cried, kneeling beside him. She shouldn't be watching this. She shouldn't have to worry about him. He had to stop this, to calm her down, but, damn it, it was so hard!

"I didn't mean to hurt him! I swear!" Bunjiro cried, frightened with what he has done. If he only knew the truth. If he could see how devastated his lungs were. Darn it, it was a horror!

"I'm calling the ambulance!" the gaijin man decided.

"No!" Tsutomu revolted, using English "Itsu nothing, itsu fine…!" another wave of cough filled his throat. Darn it! May it stop!

His daughter took his hand, stained in blood, into hers. He tightened the grip immediately. He looked at her, desperately seeking consolation. She was looking at him with fear, but there was also compassion. Now, being too weak to think in advance, he couldn't focus on the challenges she will have to face. All he could see was her gentle face, the concern for his health, the support she wanted to offer him. He desperately crushed her hand, so small and delicate, in his. Yes, he was looking at Hikari Kawai. As miserable as she was, she had a good heart. She was so warm, friendly, compassionate, altruistic, the quintessence of goodness. Almost too good to be a human. Yes, Tsutomu had no respect for that woman, the mother of his daughter. But he longed for the type of consolation only she was able to offer.

He was a fool. He was born a fool and he will die a fool. But a part of him, the better part, will live on, combined with the better part of Hikari Kawai. He will always be grateful to her for giving birth to his child, regardless of its sex. It's the soul that matters, not the body. He knew it now. In the end, his foolishness wasn't so tragic.

The coughing stopped. The bleeding stopped. The pain was reduced to its average level. Tsutomu panted heavily, worrying they might've seen through him. The gaijins were all staring at him with sincere concern in their eyes and various types of fear on their faces. They shouldn't be worrying about him. He was a stranger to them, a yosomono. The one who insulted them and offended their hospitality. But the attack he experienced reduced him to the position of a person, who suffered. Somebody, who needed to be taken care of. He didn't like it. But he will endure it. He had no choice.

He had lung cancer.

"Father, are you alright?" his daughter asked in Japanese.

"Mister Mazaki, is everything okay?" the gaijin woman asked in English.

"Geez, Mazaki-san, Gomen Nasai! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Bunjiro claimed. Tsutomu wasn't sure, what language he used. It was meaningless. For a man who knows he has two months of life left, everything seems meaningless.

"Daijobu… I am fine" he managed to say. It brought a little relief to the people surrounding him.

"I still think we should call a doctor" the gaijin man insisted "It might be something serious"

"I don't understand this!" Bunjiro panicked "I didn't hit him this hard! Really!"

"You don't know your own strength, Bunji" his adoptive father scolded him "That's why you mustn't let your anger take over you. You could've seriously hurt our guest, the father of your half-sister. There is no excuse for such actions"

The boy lowered his head, but his face still carried a hint of grudge, of injustice. Tsutomu could understand him. If somebody insulted his sister, he would've protected her. He would've defended both of them, regardless of the feelings he had towards them. It was his duty as their younger brother. Tsutomu had to smile to himself. That Bunjiro might be a menace, but he sure has his honor. He will be there for Hikari. No doubt about that.

"Itsu no his faoul" Tsutomu spoke up "I am.. sick. Juseh little sick. Buteh I will be fine soon. That itsu nothing" he claimed. The gaijins didn't seem to believe him, but he was not going to reveal anything more.

"Are you sure?" the gaijin man insisted. Tsutomu met his gaze with determination. He has regained all his mental powers and was going to use them.

"Yes, I am sureh" he repeated. He has noticed that he was still holding his daughters hand. Now her precious hand was stained in his blood. The blood filled with the crap from his devastated lungs.

"I made your hand dirty" he told her. She just smiled weakly.

"The blood of my father is not dirty to me" she told him "The very same blood is circulating in my veins. It is an honor to me" she claimed, fitting somehow in between the image of her mother and herself. She was gentle, but not weak. She was self-confident, but without showing her bad temper. She expressed the harmony of the influence from both her parents. Tsutomu was relieved. In the end, she was the woman he intended her to be.

"Thank you" he whispered, releasing her hand. They both stood up and followed the advice of the gaijin woman, who told them to wash their hands. The attitude of the woman changed. She wasn't just being friendly now. She acted, as if Tsutomu was about to die. He noticed the change. He noticed both adoptive parents of Bunjiro started to act like this. They knew, he thought. No, that's just stupid. It would take an X-ray vision or some sort of ESP to discover the cancer in his lungs. Those people will never know. It's not like they were some sort of Bionic heroes or whatever.

After the father and daughter were done washing the blood off their hands, the entire group could sit around the table and talk in peace. The gaijin woman suggested she'll make some tea and everybody agreed. According to Tsutomu's wish, the gaijins' adoptive Afro-American son made a lecture about genetics. With the help of some charts and illustrations of crossovers he explained, how the blood groups of Hikari and Bunjiro could be inherited, and gave clear evidence that Hikari is Tsutomu's daughter. Somewhere in the middle of the lecture, the tea was served. Tsutomu listened to the lecture, drinking his tea, trying to sketch an emergency plan in his head. The truth was, he didn't really doubt his fatherhood. But he needed an excuse to run the DNA test. He was dying on lung cancer. The maternal grandmother of Hikari died on blood cancer. Hikari was at risk. He had to know. Even if he had a little time left, he had to know weather his daughter was endangered with cancer or not. If she was, he would have to tell her. If not, then there was no need to make her worry. So, he needed a good reason to make her cooperate, a good lie. He preferred to tell her he might not be her father than admit he's dying on cancer and she might die on it too. As much as it was heartbreaking to deceive her like this, he decided it was the lesser evil. Weather it was right or not was another story.

"Thank yoo" said Tsutomu, after the black gaijin was done with the explanations "It iseh a soot foh my heart" he lied, knowing that was what they expected of him. Not only them, Hikari too. If he made her go through this, he was obliged to keep his act. Fortunately, he was a talented actor.

"I'm glad I could help" the black gaijin replied, smiling. Tsutomu was angry at him at first, but now he calmed down. He had talked to the doctor. He knew now that DNA is located in all human cells, not only in blood. He could use her hair, nails, scarf-skin, anything. If he had known before, maybe he needn't have deceived his daughter. Maybe. But now, it was meaningless. Everything was.

Hikari moved her chair closer to Tsutomu's and embraced him. She was genuinely relived. He hugged her, trying to swallow the guilt of causing her so much pain. He cursed himself for having smoked most of his life. If he hadn't taken that shit in his mouth, the cancer might not have developed. Fortunately, his daughter didn't smoke. He made sure she didn't. When she was a kid, he made her smoke the entire packet. She suffered greatly because of it, but she swore to never ever touch a cigarette again. It was a good thing.

Still, he was troubled. Not because of his own actions, but by his daughter's changed image. She didn't smell like herself. The impression of touching her was also different. He wanted to think he didn't like it. That such changes will only make her more vulnerable. But the truth was, he couldn't help it but appreciate the beauty. He was a man after all. The problem was he knew that many men would become interested in his daughter if she started to pay more attention to her looks. He didn't mind her sleeping with guys, he would be a hypocrite if he forbade her that, but he couldn't bear the thought of her getting seriously involved with one. Well, he did want grandchildren, but didn't want to lose his daughter. She was everything to him, his entire world and greatest love. Fortunately, he won't live this long to see her leave him. That was about the only positive side of his lethal illness.

"Ima Omae-no soba-ni, Hikari-chan" He whispered to her. I will always be there for you, my little light. Even after I die, my spirit will always be there for you.

"Ooki-na ai-ga boku-wo donna tooki-mo mamotteru" she replied. The huge love will protect me forever. If only this could be true, Hikari. If only.

After they parted, his daughter suggested that she will go get changed. The blonde girl said she will go with her. And so, the two young women left the room. Tsutomu sighed, taking one more look at this wonderful creature, whom he created out of nothing with the help of her mother. After he lost her from his field of vision, he directed his stare to Bunjiro. It was easier than to look in the blue eyes of the boy's adoptive parents.

"I do no want anybody to think of my dauteh the way I used to think of heh motheh" he said, deciding it was the best explanation of his actions "That iseh why I said what I said"

Bunjiro nodded. He still held sorrow towards Tsutomu, but seemed to be trying to understand him.

"Nee-san told me how you met our mother" he said "How you donated blood for our grandmother. I appreciate that"

"No only blood" Tsutomu replied. So Hikari actually opened herself a little in front of her brother. Good to know "I paid foh heh treatment, I foundeh merrow donor in Europe, I searched foh alternate cancer healing methods" he stopped for a moment, then added in a weaker tone "I made a speech durin heh funeral"

Like he expected, the mention of death brought the atmosphere of sadness and grief. Even if it concerned a woman, whom none of those people knew.

"You must have loved mother very much" the boy guessed. It was a bad guess, and a silly one. Tsutomu has just mentioned he didn't think much of that woman. But he could tell the boy just wanted to somehow keep the conversation alive. He just had no idea how.

"I did no" he denied "I waseh doin it foh myself. Youreh motheh said only I could help heh. It waseh a challenge to me. I felt, as if I could battle the God" with that, Tsutomu smirked bitterly, amused with his own foolishness "In the end, the God had won" And he will so again, when the time comes for me to die.

"But mother must have loved you" the boy went on "She did stay with you after her mother died" he noticed. So old, yet so naïve.

"Sometimes, love can be mistaken foh a differen feelin. Youreh motheh waseh grateful foh what I've done foh heh motheh. Andeh she waseh scared of bein left alone. Apart fro heh motheh, she had no family left. So she choose to stay witheh me. Buteh no, it wasn't love. It waseh all about…" he stopped, thinking of a less direct word to express the character of their relationship "…consolation"

Everybody understood what he meant by that.

"Besides" Tsutomu went on "By the time heh moteh died, youreh moteh waseh in 4th month pregnant. That waseh a good reson to stay witheh me"

"At least grandmother knew she was going to be a grandmother" Bunjiro noticed, smiling weakly "She must've been happy to know it"

"Indeed she wadeh" Tsutomu confirmed "Andeh she wished us, that the baby iseh a dauteh. Heh wish did come true" with that, he remembered about the gift he brought for Bunjiro. He pulled an USB Flash Drive from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of Bunjiro. The boy took it and regarded with curiosity.

"I have recorded all pictures I had of youreh moteh" Tsutomu explained "It isent much, buteh I believe yoo will be satisfied"

Bunjiro was now looking at the small device, as if it was made of pure gold. The sadness has left him and he brightened up with joy. In this moment, Tsutomu could see the boy's mother within him. Within the gratefulness he had for him.

"Arigato gozaimasu" he said "Thank you very much, Mazaki-san"

"Youreh welcome" Tsutomu replied simply. He was reserved before pulling out the other supposed to be gift. This one should definitely go to his daughter. But then, he doubted she would ever need it. Eventually, he placed the other gift, an old ring, in front of Bunjiro "Youreh grandmothe gave it to me before she died. Youreh grandfather gave it to heh when he waseh proposing. She told me to give it to youreh mothe, when I propose to heh. I never did. Perhaps yoo will propose to somebody one day. When it happens, use the ring" he explained.

Bunjiro carefully took the ring. This time, he was much more careful than when lifting the Flash Drive. He felt, that this little thing was much more valuable and deserved much more respect. Tsutomu smiled. The ring was a burden to him, since he knew he had failed the trust his ex's mother had for him. She wanted him to be her son-in-law. Tsutomu thought, if she had known how cold-hearted and self-centered he really was, she would've never entrusted her precious possession to him.

Finally, Bunjiro decided to give the ring back to Tsutomu.

"This should belong to Nee-san. Give it to her boyfriend once she finds one" he suggested. Tsutomu had to smile bitterly. He won't live long enough to see that happen.

"I'd sooner kill him" he tried to turn it into a joke "Whoeva tries to take my dauteh away fro me iseh my enemy. The ring will be safer witheh yoo than witheh me. Please, keep it" he insisted. This seemed to have work on Bunjiro, as his face brightened up. He took the ring and hid it in his pocket, along with the Flash Drive.

"Once Nee-san finds a suitable husband candidate, I'll be sure to give it to him" he promised. Tsutomu was pretty much satisfied with the conversation. There was just one thing left for him to say. He knew it was unnecessary, but he wanted to be sure the boy understood him. So, he spoke to him in Japanese.

"You must understand me, Bunjiro. Regardless of what I do or say, my daughter is the most precious person to me. My love for her is the most powerful force that drives my life. You are her younger brother, her closest relative. I want you to promise, that you will always be there for her. That you will help her whenever she needs you. If it's necessary, protect her with your own life. Can you promise this to me, Bunjiro? Can I trust you?" he asked. The boy was clearly under impression of both the language and the request it expressed. His mind turned to the Eastern way of thinking and he could notice the values treasured by the nation of Japan. There still was a good deal of samurai spirit in that boy. And that spirit spoke through his lips.

"Yes, Mazaki-san. I will always be there for Nee-san. You have my word" he replied. Tsutomu felt a huge relief. He had his declaration.

"Thank you" he said, satisfied. Hikari had her guardian. At least one goal was achieved.

A second later, Hikari and the blonde girl returned. Hikari was now looking perfectly normal. She washed off the entire make-up and changed back to her usual clothes. Tsutomu felt relieved, but had to admit seeing her dressed up like that was a sort of bitter pleasure. Something he could not allow openly.

Deciding they don't have anything else to do in the house of the gaijins, Tsutomu thanked them for the hospitality and everything. He also told them the name of the hotel they were staying at and left the address. The gaijin kids declared they would visit Hikari tomorrow, which pleased Tsutomu, since he was going to be away for most of the day and his daughter would appreciate company. He was glad that Hikari managed to befriend those people, even if they were gaijins. At least he won't have to worry about her while carrying out his plan. He still had to prepare a contract to sell his company and corrupt some people to help him make sure Hikari would receive American nationality, in case his family in Japan possesses danger to her. Oh, and most of all, he had to contact his sister Tori. She was the only relative he could trust. The only one who could help him leave this world in honor. He might be the last male descendant of the Mazaki clan, but he was not going to die in hospital, without any dignity. He was not going to let the cancer defeat him.

When the time comes, he will commit seppuku.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's Notes: Now this HAD TO impress you.

In fact, I have never intended to tell this chapter from Tsutomu's point of view, but I thought that might work out just fine. Seems I was right.

Chichi-no Chi – Father's blood (good title, neh?)

Tsutomu – this names comes from the verb "tsutomeru" – to work hard, to do ones best. So, his name can translate as "hard worker". I suppose it fits his character.

Katakana – an alphabet used to transcribe foreign words in Japanese. Thus, katakana-ized English is English spoken the way Tsutomu does (avoiding groups of consonants, putting as much vowels in between as possible).

Yosomono – stranger.

Gomen Nasai – I am sorry.

Daijobu – it's okay, I am fine, etc.

Ima Omae-no soba-ni, Hikari-chan – Always by your side, Hikari-chan.

-chan – A suffix added to the names of people equal to you or of lower rank than you. Usually used for girl, can be used for little boys.

Ooki-na ai-ga boku-wo donna tooki-mo mamotteru – The huge love will protect me forever.

Arigato gozaimasu – Thank you very much.

Seppuku – ritual suicide.

Actually, the ending "jin" in "gaijin" already stands for "human", so it's inappropriate to use "gaijin man" or "gaijin woman", but that way it's simpler, so I left it this way.


	12. Chapter 12

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 12: Hidden in the night

As Jack and Helen lay down in their bed, both know sleep won't come soon. Tonight, the air in their bedroom seems to be falling on them like a black curtain, bringing a fog of numbness and sorrow. Even the roof is shaking lazily, like a drunk man.

Then again, they might be the ones who got drunk. Drunk with someone else's secret.

"He is dying" Helen stated. It was almost a whisper, as if she was afraid of reveling the truth about Tsutomu's health. This man, whom they thought to be a brute and tyrant, who turned out to be suffering from a lethal disease.

"That tumor on his lung…" Jack said, barely moving his lips "It's huge"

"I haven't felt this much pain since the Elemental" Helen added. Jack might've seen Tsutomu's lungs with all their horrible content, but she has read his mind. She knew his hopes, fears, regrets. And those won't give her relief. Especially the final one "He wants to commit suicide"

Jack moved slightly, troubled by the information.

"When?" he asked. This was the key information.

"When the pain is too bad to bare" Helen explained "He wasn't sure how long he will be able to endure it, but he assumed two months at best"

Jack sighed. If he had cancer, he'd take any chance to cure it. There were so many possibilities. Chemotherapy. Irradiation. Implantation. Amputation. But that tumor was so big… probably too big to be removed just like that. And probably it has grown on other organs, not only the lungs. And, most probably, Tsutomu has already consulted numerous doctors about it and he simply knew there was no hope for him.

As painful as it was, Jack had to admit: if he knew he was going to die, he'd rather die quickly. Waiting for death would be too much to handle.

"Poor man…" Jack said "Poor Kari"

"He doesn't want to tell her" Helen felt pity for the young woman, who remained unaware of her father's critical condition "Oh, Jack, she has the right to know"

"Yes, she does" Jack agreed "But I think it will be better if she doesn't know. This knowledge will bring her nothing but pain. And her pain will only add to Tsutomu's pain. It would make the situation worse than it already is"

"That's what Tsutomu thinks" Helen confirmed "He doesn't want Hikari to mourn him before he dies. He believes it's the least mercy he can show her" she stopped for a while, remembering the Japanese man's feelings. How he wanted to protect his daughter. To make sure she will manage after he's gone. She was his dearest, most precious person, one thing that kept him from stabbing a sword into his gut right away. That Helen could understand very well. She too wanted to guarantee her children a safe and stable future. It was the dream shared by all parents in the world.

Tsutomu won't be able to look after his daughter anymore. He won't see her graduate college. He won't take part in her wedding ceremony. He won't hold his grandchild in his arms. Tsutomu wanted grandchildren. Preferably male. He was going to adopt Hikari's husband, so the Mazaki family had a successor. It was his duty to assure the rightful succession. Now he knew he won't be able to fulfill this duty. He also suspected his father won't accept Hikari's potential husband as the family heir, unless it was somebody he chose for her. So, Tsutomu would rather let his daughter stay in US, away from their conservative family, and take on all the shame that came attached.

Now, having visited Tsutomu's mind, Helen had a better idea of how much the duty to the family meant to him, and how much it hurt him to not fulfill it. But still, Hikari meant more to him than his honor. Despite everything.

Suddenly, Helen found herself crying. She couldn't help it. The pressure on her mind was too great.

Jack has noticed. He pulled his wife closer to himself and she gratefully accepted it. They shared the secret. They were in this together.

But Tsutomu was alone. And that hurt the most.

* * *

Meanwhile Bunji was sitting in front of his computer, exploring the content of the Flash Drive he received from Tsutomu. The boy couldn't get the smile of his face as he studied all the wonderful pictures featuring his mother. She was so delicate, so pure. Unbelievably beautiful. If he didn't know that woman was his mother, he'd say she was a model or an actress.

Most pictures also featured his sister. He almost giggled at the chubby baby in his mother's arms. Little Kari was adorable, and so funny. Bunji especially liked one of the pictures, in which his mother was holding Kari in front of Tsutomu's face, and Tsutomu laughed when Kari was reaching out for him with her chubby little arms. The three of them looked really happy together. Just the way a family should look like.

Bunji's good mood decreased slightly, as he realized he doesn't have any pictures of himself with both parents. Naturally, he had pictures of himself and his father, but not even one of his mother. She died shortly after he was born. It hurt Bunji. In this case, he envied his sister.

Suddenly, he got an idea. The earliest picture shows his mother and Tsutomu by his grandmother's bed. Back then, mother was pregnant, so technically Kari is in the picture too. If he only could find a picture in which mother would be pregnant with him. That would qualify as a picture of both of them together.

Filled with new hope, Bunji got down to searching. Fortunately, each picture had its description, including the date of taking. There, just a few months more…

There. Christmas and New Year's Eve 1987. Bunji was born on 5th August 1988.

It seemed that Tsutomu's family didn't celebrate Christmas, but that didn't surprise Bunji – it was a Christian celebration and the majority of Japan professed Shinto – what mattered was the fact, that he could be sure he was there already. In the picture, his mother was caressing Kari, who lay asleep on her lap, and seemed to be caressing her stomach. This touched Bunji. His sister knew he was there. Maybe even before their mother knew. Even at the beginning, they were deeply connected with each other. Like real siblings.

Bunji whipped a tear that came to his eye. That Tsutomu has given him a gift beyond measure.

But still, the greatest was yet to be explored. The visions he shared with his sister. There must be some more left in store. And they were going to check them all out.

* * *

Meanwhile Tsutomu swallowed a handful of pills, that were supposed to grant him a good night of sleep. The man groaned, unwillingly touching his chest. With a bit of luck, he'll remain asleep for four hours. The pain will wake him up, no matter how many pills he takes.

He sighed. He still had a couple of minutes before the medicine affects his organism. Now it was time to do, what has to be done.

Tsutomu took a small plastic container he received from the doctor earlier this day. Carefully, yet firmly, he entered the bedroom.

Hikari was laying on her side, hugging the rolled coverlet between her legs. She was sleeping peacefully and Tsutomu knew she won't wake up, provided he does it right.

Hikari had taken a shower before she went to sleep, so her skin was wetted and soft. The heels seemed to be the right choice, as it was easy to rub a full flake of skin from there without causing pain. So, Tsutomu positioned himself next to the bed, placed the container near his daughter's feet and gently rubbed the skin on her heel. The old scarf-skin dropped off without any difficulty. Hikari didn't move an inch. Satisfied, Tsutomu rubbed off some scarf-skin from the other heel. This should be enough for the DNA tests. Relieved with the outcome of his quest, the man closed the container tightly.

Having placed the DNA sample in the pocket of his jacket, Tsutomu returned to the bedroom. He was feeling a little sleepy now, thanks to the pills. Before he lay down, he took the pleasure of observing his daughter a little. So cute. So adorable. This beloved, most perfect being. His statue of blood and flesh.

He came up with many words he could describe he daughter with, but none seemed proper. But then, words mean nothing. Love is expressed through acts. One might tell you he'll do everything for you, but such vows are meaningless, unless backed up with acts. That's what Tsutomu believes in. That's what he wants his daughter to believe in. That's the truth that lead him to this point. It shall lead him till the very end.

In his weakness, Tsutomu lay down next to his daughter and embraced her. He doesn't have much time left, but he will make the best of it.

Drowning in the scent of Hikari, the scent that reminded him of the past two decades, the man unwillingly shed a single tear. That was everything he could allow.

One's death should match his entire life. Tsutomu Mazaki was going to apply this rule to his life.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's Notes: I had a hard time trying to set the plot of B6 into our times, as no official timeline was ever given (correct me if I'm wrong). I've decided, since the plot was supposed to be set in the "near future" and the series was produced in 1987 (it's amazing I like a cartoon that is older than me), I assumed we could safely set the plot at the beginning of the 21st century.

To make it more symbolic, I've decided to appoint the year 1987 as the year of birth for Eric and Meg. So, according to our fandom, JD was born in 1986 and Bunji in 1988. "Hikari" is taking place in Summer 2005.

BTW I've decided to make Bunji a Leo. I think it fits him.

I hope this makes sense.


	13. Chapter 13

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 13: Keeping the act

Amy and Emit Collins were used to getting up at dawn, in order to get to work on time. What they found extraordinary were visitors at this time of day. You can only imagine how surprised they were to hear a doorbell ring as they were finishing their breakfast. At half past six.

When Emit opened the door, he saw an elegant Asian man, presumably about his age. Assuming from the dark circles around his eyes, that man suffered from sleeplessness. Assuming from the jacket he wore, as well as the leather briefcase he carried, he was a businessman, which could mean he simply had more important things to do than sleeping.

"Good morning. How can I help you?" asked Emit. His visitor seemed somehow troubled, but he couldn't tell why. Perhaps it was just tiredness.

"Goodeh mounin" replied the Asian. His pronunciation was poor, but still understandable "I am lookin foh doktah Collins"

"My wife and I are both doctors, sir. Which of us are you looking for?"

"Youreh wife. Deh genetician"

"I see. Please, come in"

Emit lead the guest to the dining room. After the man and Amy exchanged greeting formulas, it became obvious that they have spoken to each other before.

"You must be Mr. Mazaki" Amy guessed "We have talked on the phone yesterday"

"Yes, Tsutomu Mazaki" the man confirmed "I am sorry to disturbeh youreh meal" he added, noticing the leftovers on the table. This sentence came out almost perfectly fine.

"You are not disturbing us, Mr. Mazaki, we were finishing already" Amy assured. Her husband started to clean away the dishes, deciding it's the most appropriate thing to do in this situation. Amy nodded approvingly in his direction and turned back to the guest "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank yoo. I justeh wante to give yoo this" he said, taking a small, plastic container out from the pocket of his jacket and handled it to Amy "Deh De-en-eh sample of my dauteh"

Amy took the container from him.

"Oh, I see. Honestly, I thought you were going to deliver it to the hospital"

"I am stayin in a hotel here. Goin to San Francisco wouldeh be a waste of time" Tsutomu explained "Howeh lon do you need to examine thise?"

"Approximately three weeks, Mister Mazaki. It all depends on…"

"Tree days" he demanded. Amy gave him a strict gaze. Those people of business. They always want everything to be done 'for yesterday'.

"I'm afraid that is impossible, sir. The laboratory is overwhelmed with work. We just cannot…" but the man wasn't listening to her. He pulled a check book and a pen out of his pocket and before Amy could finish her last sentence, he handled her a check. The geneticist had to stop herself from sighing out loud. She expected more manners from an Asian.

"Mister Mazaki" she started, trying to imagine she's talking to one of her children – it usually helped her maintain calmness "It is not the matter of money. Examinations needed for criminal investigations have priority. If we have to determine whether the semen found on a raped girl's leg comes from the man she accused of the rape, it is a matter of life and death. I do understand you are worried about your daughter's health, but her grandmother dying on leukemia is not reason enough to give her any special treatment. If all of her grandparents had died on cancer, that would be a different story, but judging from the medical facts you provided me with, it is extremely unlikely that your daughter would develop a cancer overnight. I hope you understand, Mister Mazaki" she explained, feeling nothing she said meant anything to this man. There was anger in his eyes. Anger and bitterness. Fortunately for him, the geneticist was not the sort of person to get angry easily – medical praxis and raising three kids trained her patience – so she could ignore her guest's behavior.

Meanwhile Emit finished cleaning away the dishes and returned to stand beside his wife. From what he's heard of the conversation, the Asian was a difficult person to deal with and Amy might use his support.

That man, Mazaki, seemed to be boiling inside. As if a hive of bloodthirsty bees was fighting within him. At this point, the couple started to fear him. Asians don't show their emotions so clearly. Something must be wrong with this man. Something serious.

Finally, Mazaki put his briefcase on the table and opened it.

"It iseh a matter of life and dead" he said, pulling out a X-Ray photograph and handling it to the Collinss "My dead"

Shocked, Amy took the photograph and held it up, against the light source at the ceiling. She and Emit looked at it with their doctors' eyes, but even a commoner would've noticed a gigantic shade covering the lung on the photograph.

"I haveh cancer" Mazaki said "Lung cancer witheh transfer to my liver. Lasteh stage. Un-operable. I haveh two months left. Andeh I wanteh to know the outcome of the examination before I die. I wanteh to know my dauteh will no have to go through whateh I am goin through" he recitated firmly, with great determination. His eyes, previously filled with anger, now seemed to be burning with passion. However, at the very end, his expression seemed to soften "You haveh children. You have to understand"

They did understand. They did understand that his anger was not directed at them – he was suffering from a lethal illness. Un-operable. As neither of them was an oncologist, they were not going to argue with the judgment passed by somebody else. They couldn't give their guest any false hope. But they could try to fulfill his request.

"Two weeks" Amy offered "Ten days, with a bit of luck. I will do my best, but I cannot promise you miracles, Mister Mazaki"

"Thank you" he said and took the X-Ray photograph back. After he placed it inside his briefcase, he once again handled the check to Amy. This time, she accepted it.

"Wow, corruption? How lovely!" somebody said. The doctors and the guest jumped in surprise to see a young girl leaning against the door frame. A mess of strawberry blond locks covered her face while a close-fitting shirt and even more close-fitting shorts revealed the features of a mature woman. That itself was enough to make her parents furious.

"Diane!" Emit scolded, turning red. He jumped to his daughter and pushed her to the corridor "What on Earth do you think you're doing?! Parading half-naked in front of the guest!"

"I'm not naked!" the girl protested "You seriously can't expect me to put on an uniform just to get a glass of water!"

"Then get it and go back to bed!"

"But kitchen is this way!"

"Then wait till the guest leaves!"

"Emit, calm down!" Amy pleaded "You'll wake Nicole and Angelina up!" nextly, she turned to the Asian "I'm so sorry, Mister Mazaki. Diane sometimes doesn't know how to behave"

"No problem, doktah Collins" Mazaki replied "I do not get attracted by anything young enough to be my dauteh" it seemed that he was saying the truth, as he didn't even blush at the sight of the half-naked girl. Probably, he was used to it, having a daughter of his own.

"I shouldeh be goin" he decided, taking his briefcase "We'll stay in touch"

"Yes, certainly" Amy agreed "As soon as I have the results, I will inform you" she felt a sympathy for this man. Now that she knew about his illness she could forgive him rudeness. He was in pain. A terrible pain "If you needed anything…"

"No. Nothin couldeh helpeh me now" he stated "Buteh I appreciate youreh help" with that, he continued towards the exit. Amy walked him to the door and then closed it behind him. Just then did she remember about the check she was holding and looked at it.

The number was three times the price they have agreed on yesterday.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's Notes: Short, but there was no need for more in this chapter. All of the characters (except for Tsutomu) belong to Lilith.


	14. Chapter 14

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 14: Going out

This was going to be a beautiful day.

That's what Kari thought when she woke up. She had a suspiciously good mood. Her new friends have promised to take her sightseeing. She was going to take lots of photos and maybe even do some sketching – for practice and for fun. That itself was making her happy.

Having received a phone call from her brother, Miss Mazaki packed her shoulder bag and left the room. Her father had left earlier in the morning, to do business. She didn't mind, knowing the Bennetts will be keeping her company. She found them outside the hotel and instantly noticed a new person – a girl. Her face reminded Kari of Avril Lavigne a little, but she had red hair and green eyes.

"Kari, I would like you to meet Nicole, my girlfriend" Eric introduced the girl. Nicole offered Kari her hand to shake.

"I'm pleased to meet you"

"Same here" Kari shook hands with Nicole, directing an accusing gaze at Bunji. He should've warned her. She felt a discomfort because of this unexpected addition to their group. She knew she should try to act nicely, since the Bennetts were her hosts, but she couldn't help her distrust for strangers.

Nicole didn't seem to realize she's being perceived in a negative way. She was smiling and looking at Kari with kindness.

"My, you really do look like Bunji. If I hadn't known you're half-siblings, I'd guess you're twins" she stated. It made Kari froze. She knew?

"Oh, don't overdo it, Nic" Eric told his girlfriend "They don't look that much alike"

"Right, Bunji isn't as charming as his big sister" Meg noticed. Bunji replied with a grin.

"You mean Nee-san or yourself?" he asked, teasing her. She presented a contra grin.

"Both of us" she decided, putting one arm on Kari's shoulder "Together and separately likewise"

Kari was starting to get lost. The whole talk concerning her seemed to be going to somewhere out of her reach.

"Big sister?" Nicole seemed surprised "I thought she was younger. She doesn't look to be more than 15"

Right, Kari thought, that one was true. She did look awfully young, at least for Western standards. That's why the life guard at the water park insisted on informing her parents. He didn't want to believe she was 19 and wouldn't allow her to go to the changing room to get her ID. But that was beside the point.

"I'm 19" she said, finally getting hold of herself "Turned in April. But! That doesn't matter. What I'd like to know is who told you about me" the demand was made at Nicole, but Kari's eyes nailed the Bennetts. How could they just spread the information concerning her relationship with Bunji like some gossip? Didn't they have any tact?

"Geez, Nee-san" her brother said "What makes you so angry? Are you ashamed of me or what?" Oh great. There comes misunderstanding.

"Of course not" she said "It's just that I barely know you. For almost two decades I lived unaware of your existence. Now that I've learned I have a brother, I'd like to keep him to myself. To me, our relationship is so special that I don't want to share it with anybody else. At least in the nearest future. Do you understand?" she hoped he did. It made her feel uncomfortable to make such declarations in public, so he'd better appreciate it.

Fortunately, he did. He was obviously pleased, maybe even touched. His need for love and attention was satisfied.

"Oh, you've become possessive of me? That's so cute" he smiled. Kari frowned. Did he just direct a baby talk at her?

The rest of the group had "aw" in their eyes. Nobody perceived her declaration as egoistic. Good grief.

"Don't get so excited" Kari suggested "Nothing much happened"

JD disagreed.

"I'd say you made a huge progress in comparison to yesterday. You're much more open than you were before"

"Maybe, but I'd rather you didn't put my openness to such drastic tests. I had the right to know you were going to invite somebody from outside the family to join us" she remarked.

"But Nic's almost a family" Bunji stated "She and Eric are going to get married sooner or later, so we can treat her like a sister-in-law already"

"When we will be getting married, we'll be sure to invite you" Nicole offered.

"Besides…" Meg cut in "We could certainly use another woman in your education"

_Education?_

"You see, Nic is the ultimate shopping specialist"

_Shopping?!_

"Not only in clothes, but cosmetics and jewelry as well"

_Oh crap!_

"You'll see, we're going to have lots of fun!"

_Like hell!_

"Do I have to remind you…" Kari started, getting angry "What happened yesterday?" she was getting creeps at the memory of her father's eruption.

"This time is going to be different" Meg assured "Your father will never know of anything we did, which means you'll be safe"

"It's not about my father, it's about me!" Kari yelled "I've told you I despise fancy clothes, cosmetics and all that crap! Why don't you understand?!" she demanded. She could see that the Bennetts and Nicole thought it was rude of her, but she had to fight back. They had to understand they can't just force her to do something she hates. Being as civilized as they claimed to be, they should respect her rights.

Surprisingly, it was Nicole who showed her some understanding.

"We won't be forcing you to do anything" she assured "Especially when it comes to cosmetics. With your type of fairness, you don't really need them"

Kari's eyes winded.

"No?"

"Not at all. Like I said, you look very young. I don't see any imperfections that would need to be hidden. Maybe that your skin seems a little too pale, but I've heard pale complexion is preferable in Japan"

"Yup" Bunji confirmed "So say the geisha"

"Of course" Nicole went on "we could use some mascara and lipstick to make your eyes and mouth seem bigger, not so drastically bigger, or else it wouldn't look natural, but it's not necessary. I'd even say it's pointless, considering we will be sightseeing in the burning sun of California. However, I could teach you a few tricks to use in case you were going out for a date" with that, she sent Kari a blink.

Kari couldn't believe it. That Nicole was very reasonable about this whole female business. Rather than acting like a mad stylist, she was politely giving her opinion, preserving respect for the rights of the other side. Perhaps this time won't end up as bad as yesterday?

"Oh, Nee-san doesn't need any tricks to use on a date" Bunji suddenly laughed "She has more admirers than she can stand!" with that he blinked at his adoptive siblings, grinning. Everybody smiled, which meant they understood the allusion.

"Oh, right" Eric agreed, amused with the memory "Especially one horse-haired Zambo!"

The Bennetts laughed, remembering Sparky trying to seduce Kari. Kari herself found it annoying.

"This isn't funny!" she revolted. She perceived the water park accident as embarrassing and humiliating. She had to make a fool out of herself just because her brother didn't stand up for her. As if bringing dishonor to both of them wasn't bad enough, he made jokes about it. Disgusting!

"Sorry, Nee-san" Bunji said, pleasurably unaware of the scale of his sister's feelings "It's beyond our control"

"But it's because of Sparky, not you, so don't worry" Meg added, remembering how sensitive Miss Mazaki could be. Nicole willingly supported her.

"It's true, Kari, everybody laughs at Sparky. He's a major goofball"

"I'd say he's a major jerk" Kari opposed. To her, a 17-year-old acting like a 13-year-old was unacceptable. Well, except for Kuro-kun, but he can't be blamed for having such a low IQ.

"That's because you don't know him as well as we do" Bunji said "He's a really funny guy. He's loyal and trustworthy too. I seriously don't understand why girls don't like him"

"You want the short list or the long?" Kari offered, amused. It was her turn to show some sense of humor.

"Ha hah, very funny" Bunji replied sarcastically.

"Taking boys" Nicole started, sensing a potential new topic "Do you have a boyfriend, Kari?"

The Bennetts knew she did not. The only boy she did mention was Kuro-kun, whom she claimed to be her best friend. Thus they were highly surprised to see their Japanese sister look aside and scratch the back of her head.

"Well… sort of" she said.

Their eyes winded.

"What do you mean 'sort of'?" Bunji demanded "Is there even such a thing like 'sort of boyfriend'?"

"It's complicated"

"We have time. Fire away"

Kari sighed. Should have kept her mouth shut.

"Like I said" she started "I have a friend. My best and only friend Kuro-kun. He doesn't have friends apart from me either, so we almost always hang out together, just the two of us. It's been like this since we were children. As we grew older we started to wander if we could become a couple. It's natural, I suppose. But no matter what, we couldn't fall in love with each other. He is precious to me, but only as a friend. I'm still trying to do something about it, but nothing came out of it"

"You girls enjoy complicating your life, don't you?" Eric commented and received a nudge with an elbow from his girlfriend "Auch! What was that for?" he demanded.

"I'd tell you what, honey, but it'd be so complicated you wouldn't understand" she said sweetly, making him grumble and look aside. Women. They always find a reason to annoy innocent guys.

Ignoring her boyfriend's behavior, Nicole turned to Kari.

"I can see your point in clinging to that friend of yours, Kari" she started, speaking with compassion and concern " However, I believe it'll be the best for both of you if you give in. Like you said, he is your best friend. If you know he couldn't possibly be anything more, don't push it. If you do, you might end up losing this friendship rather than finding love" she made a pause, giving her interlocutor some time to consider the advice. The Japanese didn't show much emotion, but her eyes told Nicole that she knows it all too well. Only that she won't admit it.

"Nic is right" Meg joined the conversation "You can't force yourself to love somebody. It's just… wrong"

"Right on" Eric unusually agreed with his sister "People fall in love independently from their will"

"Exactly" JD supported the thesis "Do you think Romeo and Juliet had a choice? Or Tristan and Isolde? If they could choose, they wouldn't have chosen somebody whom they mustn't love"

"Like Kotaishi-sama and Masako-sama…" Kari sighed.

"Huh?" came from everybody except JD.

Kari rolled her eyes.

"Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako" she explained "At first, it was only love from the prince's side. Masako-sama wanted to make a career. But Kotaishi-sama kept on courting her so long she finally had to give in. She gave up her freedom, dreams, ambitions, everything to be his wife. And now some jerks accuse her of using the prince like a toilet paper just because she didn't give birth to a son. That's the kind of justice we women get in Japan"

Before Kari could went further into the topic, Bunji cut in.

"Man, it's so late!" he exclaimed, determined to prevent his sister from making another lecture on women's rights "Come on, guys! We gotta sightseeing to do!"

Everybody agreed with him. Kari getting into the feminist mode could be dangerous. Besides, they will have more chances to talk later.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's Notes: Nicole belongs to Lilith. Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako are actual people.

Another boring chapter. The next two chapters will include new visions (unless something unpredictable happens).


	15. Chapter 15

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 15: The choice was yours

Time was going by quickly as the entire group road through Cypress Cove on their quads. Kari held tightly onto her brother's back with one hand, using the other to take pictures with her photo camera. The Bennetts and Nicole commented on the passed building s and institutions, providing their guest with interesting information and suggestions of what they should see next. Whenever they encountered something that caught Kari's attention, they stopped to investigate it further. Much to JD's enlightenment and everyone else's disappointment, the Japanese was mainly interested in visiting all sorts of museums, while she showed no concern for sport objects and shopping centers. The only exception was the Cypress baseball stadium, because "Kuro-kun loves baseball and he'd love to see that".

From time to time Kari pulled out her sketchbook and sketched whatever caught her attention at the moment. She was drawing really fast, but needed about 15 minutes to create a relatively satisfying piece. Her hosts did their best not to let their boredom show, but with every sketching break their endurance decreased.

Especially Bunji was frustrated. He had no idea why was it so necessary for Kari to draw all that stuff if she's already photographed it. It was a waste of time. When he thought of all the visions they could have watched during those breaks, it was killing him. Wasn't Kari eager to learn more about their mother? He was dying for it. For any piece of information. He wanted it all and he wanted it now.

Fortunately for Bunji, even artists get hungry.

"You know, we've come quite near my house" Nicole noticed upon entering a restaurant "We could take a carry-out and eat it at my place. What do you say?"

"Sounds great to me" Eric approved of the idea "Your house would make a great source of inspiration for our artist here" he nodded at Kari. The Japanese was uncertain.

"Oh, I don't know. Would it be okay with your family?" she asked Nicole.

"My parents won't be home before nine PM and my sisters won't mind. There is nothing for you to worry about" the red-head assured.

Kari still had her doubts. It might not be a good idea to enter a house occupied by numerous girls. If Meg alone could force a make-up and a dress onto her, not to mention the leg depilation, then a confrontation with a whole team of such stylists may lead to her doom. Or worse.

But then, Nicole has proved to be uninterested in "helping" her get in contact with her feminine side. Perhaps she deserved a little more trust?

Kari sighed. She'll take her chances.

"Fine" she decided "Let's do so. But now excuse me, I really have to go to the bathroom"

"Good idea" Meg said "I'll go too"

"That makes the three of us" Nicole added. It somehow irritated her boyfriend.

"Geez, the last bathroom break was only two hours ago" he reminded "Do you girls all have a bladder infection or what?"

"We'll talk after we're done, Darling" Nicole announced, in a tone that implied bad consequences for Eric. The boy just shrug his shoulders.

"When you're done, Nee-san, come outside" Bunji addressed Kari "There was something I thought you might want to draw"

"Fine, I'll check it out, just give me five minutes" she replied. With that, the three girls went to look for the bathroom and the boys studied the menu. Bunji told his brothers what he wanted and went outside to wait for his sister. Finally, they will have a chance for some past-exploration.

By the time the girl has finally appeared, Bunji was sick of waiting.

"Just how much time do you need to pee?" he demanded "Even Meg doesn't take that long"

"I had to see the menu and order something before coming to you, baka" Kari replied, angered by her brother's impatience and lack of tact "What is it that you want me to draw so badly it can't wait?"

This question surprised Bunji. He thought his sister would see the hidden message his suggestion contained. After all, she was the smart one. Or maybe just pretended to be.

"Geez, Nee-san, I just wanted to try out another vision. I was sure you'd get it" he explained.

If the explanation shocked Kari, she didn't show it. Instead, she switched to the serious mode.

"Anything in particular?" she asked in Japanese, indicating that they have entered the stage of subtle planning and plotting. Right, Bunji thought, it was better to use their language. Just in case.

"Oh, I don't know" he admitted "There is so much I want to know. How bout you, Nee-san? What would you like to see most?"

The question seemed to trouble Kari a little. She scratched the back of her head and looked down. Her uneasiness worried her brother. They haven't had any problems with their previous visions, so why should she be anxious now?

"Frankly, there is something I'm particularly interested in" she finally admitted "But I don't know if I'm ready to learn about it"

"Why is that?" her brother asked. The statement intrigued him. It seemed that his sister was scared of something their mother's past might contain, but he had no idea what could it be.

"Do you remember what I told you about the letter I found in my father's office?" Kari asked "The one the Bitch wrote before she left?"

"It's 'bout damn time you started to refer to her as 'mother', not 'bitch'" Bunji demanded, annoyed. If this woman wasn't his sister, he'd make her choke with her own insults "And yes, I remember that story, but I see no connection"

Kari nailed him with a gaze, that could scare a dinosaur.

"That letter ruined my childhood" she spoke, her eyes burning with all the wrath she kept hidden at the bottom of her heart "I read it all over again, and with each time another part of my world collapsed. I used to believe my mother died when I was two, but back then I've learned that she left me and my father for some other man. That somebody meant more to her than I did. Do you have any idea how devastated I was to discover it?" she snarled, trying to overcome the trembling in her voice with anger "I shivered, cried, even vomited, and lay down in the puddle of it all until my father found me. I was in such a deep shock he had to take me to a psychologist, do you get it?!" she almost shouted into his face. Bunji remained silent, watching her pant, feeling there is something more to come. Like he suspected, Kari did speak again, but this time in a calmer tone "I eventually got over it, but in order to do so I had to hate the Bitch. I had to blame her for everything. To believe she didn't deserve me, not the other way round. I had to rebuild my entire world because of one stupid letter. When I think I might have to go through this again…"

The last sentence remained unfinished. Kari figured she's already said enough and Bunji will be able to draw the right conclusion. The boy was considering her words carefully, feeling it was better not to ask for more details. Surprisingly to himself he understood his sister's fears. More than that, he was able to see her real fears, those unspoken ones. The essence of it all.

"You grew up hating mother and loving your father" Bunji concluded "And now you may discover that mother was in fact the victim and that scares the shit out of you"

Kari blushed.

"Are you suggesting that my father raped her?" she drawled, trembling.

"You said that, not me" said Bunji. Her nervousness told him that he has hit the nail on the head.

"Fine!" Kari roared "Let us investigate it then! We're focusing on my parents confessing their feelings to each other! You will see he didn't force himself onto her! She chose to be with him, on her own free will! Do you get it?!"

"Right on!" Bunji exclaimed and looked into his sister's eyes, focusing of the event she chose. He needed no further invitation.

XXX

* * *

It was getting dark. The last bits of sun were caressing the modest, yet elegant garden, and the huge house within it. It was a piece of traditional Japanese architecture with a wide cedar porch and pagoda shaped roofs. The walls were white and the tiles dark brown. The entire first floor had a shared balcony. The whole construction seemed simple, but it added to the harmony of the building.

"Oh wow" Bunji awed "Now that's what I call establishment"

"It's the Mazaki household in Tokyo" Kari explained "We used to live here back then. My grandfather, aunt Yumi and her husband still do, but father and I don't visit them unless we have to"

"I see" Bunji nodded. He remembered Kari mentioning that her father decided to leave the family household after their mother had left him. By the way, how come a grown-up man (if Tsutomu is 47 now he must've been 28 when Kari was born) would still be living with his parents? It seemed really strange to Bunji and for a moment he considered asking his sister about it, but he gave up upon hearing a cry. A cry of a woman.

At first, the two siblings didn't notice the person sitting on the porch by the wall. Now they recognized the fragile posture, pale skin and silk-like long hair. Their mother.

Without further words they approached her and kneeled by her side. Hikari Kawai was crying silently, her eyes closed tightly and hands squeezing the material of her skirt. What might've happened to her? Was it something connected to her mother? Probably. At that time she must still be fighting her illness in the hospital. Poor, poor woman. Poor three generations of women.

"A tissue?" somebody offered. The mother and her children rose their heads. They saw a hand holding a pocket of tissues in front of them. The hand lead to the arm, the arm lead to the corpse. The owner of the corpse was Tsutomu Mazaki.

Although he still was a young man, Kari's father made the impression of a wise, experienced person. Even in his own house he was dressed smartly, which suggested he might've just returned from work or simply liked this kind of fashion. While studying his expression Kari and Bunji couldn't tell if he was concerned, annoyed or simply tired.

Their mother blushed and looked down, but she accepted a tissue from him and whipped her face with it.

"Take all of them" Tsutomu suggested "I see you need them"

"Thank you" the woman whispered and took the entire pocked. While she was blowing her nose Tsutomu leaned against the balustrade of the porch and lighted a cigarette. Maybe he wanted to give the woman some privacy, maybe he was irritated by her weakness. Whatever the reason was he peacefully smoked and didn't look at her until she was done.

"Are you ready to tell me what the doctor told you?" he asked upon seeing she brought herself back to a stable condition. The question was painful for Hikari Kawai, but she tried to control her emotions.

"The level of leukocytes has dropped again" she said, fighting her sorrow. The memories and the brutal reality were not making it easy to her and it was clear she's in deep misery. It showed in her every word "I can't understand it." She continued "She was feeling so much better after those recent transfusions. She was so happy, so cheerful, just like her old self. Like she never had leukemia. And now…" her voice broke and she couldn't finish. Tears were coming back to her eyes and the she closed them tightly, trying to prevent another wave of crying. Her children felt sorry for her. Tsutomu however remained untouched, or so he pretended to.

"In other words" he said simply "we can no longer wait with the bone marrow transfusion"

At this point Tsutomu's lack of emotional engagement into the matter appeared to be a good thing. The calmness of the man and his concreteness seemed to help Hikari control herself. She immediately stopped sobbing and met his gaze. He was right. They should be thinking about further steps in her mother's treatment. It was no time for crying. Still, the right attitude itself wasn't going to be enough.

"My test was negative" she replied, whipping her face again "I can't be her donor"

"How about unrelated donors?" Tsutomu insisted "The doctors must've checked their database by now"

"They haven't found anybody suitable in the national database"

"The world doesn't consist of Japan alone. There must be somebody appropriate in the global database"

Hikari hesitated.

"Actually…" she started, looking away "A person with a matching set of antigens has recently registered somewhere in Russia… "

"Then what the hell is your problem?!" Tsutomu yelled suddenly "The cure for your mother is somewhere out there, all available for the taking, and you're sitting here crying your eyes out?! It's absurd!" he roared, scarring the life out of the woman. She pressed herself closer to the wall and hid her head in her arms, so that only her winded eyes were to be seen. Those eyes were still focused on Tsutomu, filled with uncertainty. The man stood firm, put the cigarette back into his mouth and crossed his arms. He expected to hear an answer. So the answer had to come.

"With unrelated donors…" she muttered "The risk of rejection… of death" the words barely made it through her mouth "Increases rapidly"

Tsutomu went numb with irritation.

"Listen to me, woman" he demanded coldly "Listen to me and listen well. You will never again underestimate your mother, do you understand? That woman may be fragile and week, but that won't stop her from fighting for her life. She will fight with the strength of a thousand men if she knows there is a smallest chance of victory. Do you seriously think such a minor detail as risk of rejection will make her give up? You are wrong!" he shouted. At this point Hikari was looking at him with widened eyes, amazed with the passion he presented. It encouraged him to keep going "Only dead fish swim with the current, and your mother is by all means alive. The more obstacles she faces the more willing she is to overcome them. She will take all the necessary risk, because she knows that's the only way she'll be able to stay with you. That woman has suffered a lot, but nothing will cause her more pain than having to leave her beloved daughter alone in this world. She knows you need her and for that reason alone she will cling to every possibility of recovering, regardless of the danger, struggle, pain and exhaustion involved. All you have to do is to stand by her side and have faith in her. You will go to the hospital and talk to your mother and doctors about the transfusion, first thing tomorrow. I will personally make sure of that"

At this point Hikari was looking at him with blind admiration, drunk with the words he said and the power he emitted. Tsutomu himself remained cool, as if oblivious to the glow in the woman's eyes and the slight blush on her cheeks. She was looking at him as if he were the divine emperor – which he might've as well played, with that strength and pride – speechless. They both remained like this for a couple of seconds. Finally, Hikari looked down. There was one more problem she forgot about.

"The expenses…" she whispered.

"Don't worry about expenses!" Tsutomu shouted "How many times do I have to tell you I'm going to cover all the costs of your mother treatment?! There is nothing for you to worry about, so stop worrying at last!" he demanded.

Although he was harsh, his words didn't scare Hikari this time. She was looking at him with mixture of disbelief and anxiety, but within the next few seconds her eyes filled up with hope and gratefulness. Another few seconds brought additional tears.

"What is it now?" Tsutomu asked calmly, yet annoyed. He seemed to be tired of effortless yelling.

"Nobody…" Hikari said through tears "Never in my life… has done as much for me as you did, Mazaki-san. I could never thank you enough" with that, she finally managed a weak, sincere smile. It was clear now she wasn't sad anymore. She was simply happy and relieved. Still, her attitude didn't quite please the man.

"I'm not doing this for you" he claimed "I'm doing this, because I want to. Helping your mother is something I do for my own pleasure, just like smoking. Neither of those activities has anything to do with you. You're not indebted to me in any way" he stated, maintaining a firm, face. Either a mask of indifference or indifference itself, Hikari Kawai was delighted with it.

"You're such a good man, Mazaki-san" she said with true admiration in her voice.

"You have no idea" Tsutomu crushed the remaining of his cigarette against the balustrade and came to offer Hikari his hand. She took it and he helped her up. He must've pulled a little too hard, because she hit his shoulder with her head. Intentionally or not, he supported her with his arm.

It was THE moment.

She shyly lifted her gaze to meet his. He seemed calm, but his aura has changed. He wasn't emitting power now. It was tension. This man knew how to control his emotions, but being so close to a woman seemed to damage his mask. And Hikari seemed to feel it. Her own anxiousness lessened and the initial shock changed into anticipation. Part of her wanted to retreat, but the other part wanted to proceed with whatever they've just started. Because something has just happened and they both knew it.

Tsutomu's gaze softened and he smiled kindly.

This change in attitude worried Hikari.

"I'm sorry" she said, trying to retreat "I didn't mean to.."

"Don't" Tsutomu caught her arm "Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. I enjoy being close to you"

His words made her blush more visibly than before.

That would have to be the first complement he's ever paid her.

"Oh" she tried to find her voice "You do?"

"Yes" he confirmed "You are a beautiful woman, Kawai-san. I find you very attractive"

He spoke looking into her eyes, maintaining a relaxed expression. He has taken a grip of himself, but his interlocutor couldn't overcome the excitement.

"Well.. thank you" she replied, as touched as a teenager on her first date "That is very kind of you, Mazaki-san"

Tsutomu's hands caressed her face.

She went numb.

"You know, Kawai-san" Tsutomu went on, ignoring her stiffness "There is something I wanted to ask of you"

She started to breathe again.

"Yes, Mazaki-san?"

"Stay with me tonight"

Hikari went pale and numb. Her children, who were watching the entire scene, had a similar reaction. Did he really say it? Was it really something like "I find you very attractive, come to bed with me?" For heaven's mercy, even Bunji knew that it is unprecedented for Japanese women to have sex on their first date. And his mother has not even had a single date with Tsutomu – that bastard hasn't even told her he loves her. And to ask her so directly – it was outrageous! No wonder she's so frightened.

Meanwhile Tsutomu was calmly waiting for an answer. He acted as if there wasn't anything inappropriate to his suggestion. Bunji wished he could punch him in the face. Kari wished she had taken some stress-reducing pills before starting this vision. Dear God, if her father hadn't always been the gentleman she believed him to be, she was going to need a good psychiatrist. Or a sword to commit seppuku.

In the meantime Hikari Kawai was finally finding her voice.

"Umh…" she managed to say "Do you… do you really…?"

"Yes, I do want to have sex with you" Tsutomu confirmed, without a bit of hesitation "Don't be afraid to call it by its true name. You're a grown-up woman already"

"I'm 22" she said. Her tone made it clear that she doesn't really see herself as a grow-up woman. Just like in the previous visions, the mother of Kari and Bunji was showing an absolute lack of self confidence. She thought of herself as of a poor, stupid, weak being, always dependent on others. At this very moment, dependent on Tsutomu Mazaki.

"22 and still a virgin" Tsutomu's voice revealed amusement and desire. He saw the opportunity to enjoy himself in a shameless way and was not in two minds about it "Fortunately for you, I'm an experienced lover. Stay with me tonight and I promise you won't regret it" he came closer, fully aware of the power he had upon the woman. She didn't push him away. She didn't resist when he embraced her. Although his touch, his mere words were putting her innocent soul on fire.

Bunji and Kari both were starting to feel sick. And the two lovers-to-be haven't even made it to the first base.

Hikari couldn't bring herself to look into Tsutomu's eyes. The embarrassment was too great.

"Will it hurt?" she asked in a whisper. It was a significant sentence. Now they knew that despite her fears she was considering the possibility of getting intimate with Tsutomu. So there was some sort of desire from her side as well.

"At the beginning yes" Tsutomu confirmed. At least he was honest "But I'll be very gentle and the pain won't last long. I promise" he told her. She seemed relieved, but not quite. There still was something bothering her. Was it enough to make the choice?

"If I refuse…" she started, forcing herself to meet his gaze "Will you still be willing to help my mother?"

There it was. The key point. The life of Hikari's mother dependent on Tsutomu's support. Her decision whether or not to sleep with him could become crucial for the matter.

Tsutomu's eyes winded. Over the next two seconds his face displayed a mixture of shock, disbelief, and confusion. But those feelings were instantly dominated by pain and anger.

He slashed Hikari across the face.

Bunji and Kari held their breath.

Hikari looked up with fear.

Tsutomu was pissed off.

"You ungrateful bitch!" he yelled at her "Is that what you think of me?! After all I've done for you?! Then where would this come from?! Or this?!" he demanded, rolling up his sleeves and pointing the crooks of his elbows. Both were marked with bruises the size of a quarter "Do you really think I was donating blood for your mother and paying for her treatment only to get you to bed?! If that was what I wanted, I'd have demanded it at the very beginning, back there in my office! I can afford to hire a geisha, a dozen of geisha to entertain me, so why would I go through so much trouble and pain for a stupid little shit like you?!" he roared at the woman, who was shivering and about to cry. But her tears meant nothing to him.

Still, he calmed down a little. That woman wasn't worth more attention than he's already given her.

"I showed you my better side" he spoke steadily, somewhat sadly "I offered you help, asking nothing in return. I believed you appreciate it, but I see I was wrong. You view me as a monster, not as a friend. You have offended me, me Kawai Hikari. Therefore, I cancel my request. I won't waste any love on a disgusting little piece of trash, who is unable to return it. Goodbye" with that, he turned his back on her and slowly walked away.

Her eyes remained fixed on him, even though her cheek still burned.

She was not going to give in this time.

"Wait!" she cried, dashing at him and gripping him from behind. He stopped, feeling her face pressed against his back and her delicate arms trying to embrace him. For a moment, they remained this way, he waiting, she trying to speak.

"I'm sorry" she cried "I didn't mean to hurt you. You're such a good man and I'm such an idiot. I just… Please, don't leave me" she couldn't speak anymore, so she just sobbed into his back.

For a moment it wasn't clear what Tsutomu's feelings are. Could he really be hurt by her last question? Was it such a dishonor? Could his feelings for Hikari have gone further than he claimed they had? Or maybe he didn't know what he wanted?

Hikari couldn't have seen it, but Kari and Bunji had a good view on Tsutomu's face. And, to their utter horror that face was carrying a smirk. A mean, satisfied smirk. As if everything had gone exactly the way he had planned.

He quickly removed it, but it was too late. They had seen it.

"I am going to my bedroom now" he said in a blunt tone "If so is your wish, come to me and I will welcome you with open arms. If you don't come, I am going to pretend we never had this conversation. I will still be helping your mother, regardless of what you decide. The choice is yours, Kawai-san. Just choose well. Do you understand?"

"Yes" she replied, whipping her face. She didn't seem relieved, but she wasn't crying anymore. The crisis was more or less over.

"Good" Tsutomu turned to face her. His expression was calm, maybe even carrying "I'd hate to ruin our relationship, Kawai-san" he took her face into his hands and lifted it, in the same time lowering his own "Hikari" he whispered and kissed her on the lips.

She hesitated just for a tiny moment before closing her eyes and returning the kiss with silent, yet burning passion.

This time Bunji and Kari couldn't stand to watch it. They seriously couldn't tell, who had it worse – she, for she saw her parents kiss, or he, for he saw his mother kiss a man, who isn't his father.

The kiss lasted a good couple of seconds. Very intensive seconds, as they could tell from the sounds involved. Fighting the embarrassment, the two siblings tried to focus on what they learned. Tsutomu shamelessly manipulated their mother, but they couldn't really accuse him of raping her. She might not have been fully aware of her feelings for him, but she had lust for him, no doubt about that.

At the beginning, there seemed to be love.

The future parents of Kari parted. Having taken one more look into Hikari's eyes Tsutomu left. Before he disappeared inside the household, they could see a pleasant smile on his face.

Hikari pressed her back to the wall, suddenly scared of fainting. She touched her lips, the part of her body that took her first taste of a man. Her eyes closed and her fingers gently caressed her face. She was remembering his touch, trying to decide what sort of feelings did he awake in her. Could it be love? Could he be the right man to get involved with? Hikari let her hand rest on her chest. She could feel her heart beating faster than normally. Beating because of him. Her legs softened, so she pressed them together. Or maybe it was because of what she felt in her lower parts?

Finally, she stood firmly. She took a deep breath and straightened the folds on her clothes. The choice has been made.

"Calm down, Hikari" she told herself "You will be fine. There is nothing to be worried about. Mazaki-san will take care of you, mother will recover, and you're all going to live happily ever after in this big house with a lovely bunch of adorable children" she hesitated "God, I'm so hopeless" with that she got going and disappeared inside the house.

XXX

* * *

There was silence.

No wonder there was. After all of this.

The vision was over and the two siblings were back in the burning sun of California, but they still felt deeply embedded into the coolness of that evening in Tokyo.

Into the truth.

Neither of them dared to speak. They had no idea how to comment what they've just seen. How could they describe it with words if they failed to describe it with their own thoughts?

"Your father's confession?" Kari suggested.

"Bring it on" Bunji agreed.

They needed a comparison and they couldn't stop.

* * *

Author's Notes: I've been planning this part for a very long time, so it was relatively easy to write it down, but I still have no idea how I'm going to handle the next chapter ^_^


	16. Chapter 16

„Hikari" by GreatMarta

Episode 16: A lie told once

This vision placed the two siblings in the middle of a gym. It also seemed to be the middle of a karate class.

"Breathe in! Breathe out!" The teacher instructed a group of young women, who were sitting in front of him. Bunji smiled widely, recognizing his father. It was him, just the way he remembered him – a strong man in karate kimono, wrapped with black belt – the sign of a master. A majestic figure, performing breathing exercises with his students. Asakura Hideo at his best.

"She isn't here" Kari noticed. Bunji froze. He was so focused on his father that he forgot about the heroine of the show – their mother. Who apparently was missing at the practice.

"Weird" Bunji agreed. The two siblings studied the faces of the karate students, but none belonged to their mother. How could it be? It was her memory, wasn't it?

Meanwhile Hideo announced the end of the class. He exchanged bows with his students and praised them for their hard work.

"Leave your carrimats here" he told them "Kawai-san will put them in the magazine once she's done with her punishment exercises"

Kawai-san? Punishment exercises?

Bunji and Kari looked behind themselves. There was their mother, doing knee bends. Doing them wrongly, which Bunji didn't fail to notice. She didn't keep her back straight while squatting and her knees kept on turning to the outside. This was not the way this should be done. But the boy couldn't criticize his mother. The sorrow on her face shut his mouth.

What has she done to deserve a punishment? She, of all people? This woman was the most gentle being on Earth. It was hard to imagine her doing anything inappropriate. Well, apart from cheating on her boyfriend maybe. But that was not the case.

The other women have already left the room. Hideo was now studying his remaining student with an unpleased expression on his face. He was obviously unsatisfied with her performance. Bunji knew his father's opinion was justified, but it seemed his mother couldn't do any better. She was moving slowly, clenching her teeth with every bend. She was tired and in pain. No wonder, since she hardly had any muscles. Bunji had a hard time remembering his own beginning as a karate student, but he still had compassion for his mother.

Hideo walked towards the woman.

"Well, Kawai-san?" he addressed her "Has it been one hundred yet?"

One hundred? Is he nuts?

The woman looked up, panting heavily.

"I… I lost the count" she whined and burst into tears.

Kari face-palmed.

"Here we go again…" she muttered.

Hideo, however, didn't seem annoyed. Judging from his face, he was worried.

"It's alright, Kawai-san" he said, kneeling next to her "I can see you've learned your lesson. The punishment is over"

"I'm sorry" she cried, whipping her face with a sleeve "I didn't mean to cheat. But I knew I'd come last in the race… huh.. and I… I was so scared of what you might to do me then… I'm sorry"

Hideo listened to her with caution. He considered her explanation for a moment before replying.

"I think I have learned a lesson too" he said "I am so used to working with advanced groups that I forget beginners groups need different approach. I will try to be more understanding in the future"

Hideo showed that he is aware of his own flaws and willing to improve. That man might've been a strict teacher, but he was also strict to himself. He constantly wanted to become better in everything he did. A trait valued greatly in the Japanese nation. Both Bunji and Kari approved of it. Even Hikari calmed down now that Hideo showed her his nice side.

"You are a great teacher, Asakura-sensei" she told him "It's just that I am hopeless"

"You've only begun your training, Kawai-san. It's too early for a fair assessment of your skills"

"You are very kind, sensei, but I already see the difference between myself and the rest of the group. I am too weak. I am just making a fool out of myself. It is for the best that I don't burden the group anymore"

At this point Kari was clearly annoyed and even Bunji could understand why. How long can one listen to his mother calling herself a hopeless weakling? Enough is enough. Something has to be done about it.

Judging from Hideo's face, he was going to give it a try.

"You need to stop comparing yourself to the rest of the group, Kawai-san" he stated "I think that you should try individual lessons. It could help you gain confidence in your own strength. Do you think you could consider it?"

It seemed like a reasonable solution. Hikari appeared to be interested, but she was also scared. After all, a group was an insurance of stability and safety. And private lessons? With a man? That could be dangerous.

"Oh, I don't know, Asakura-sensei… I don't know if I want to continue this. I just… I feel like I'm trying to pick a fruit from the tallest branch. No matter how hard I try, I won't jump high enough to reach it. There are some limitations I cannot overcome"

Bunji and Kari sighed in annoyance, but Hideo seemed amused.

"Funny you should mention that, Kawai-san. Do you happen to know anything about basketball?"

"No, I don't" replied Hikari, surprised. What may basketball have to do with karate?

"There is a contest" Hideo explained "A series of contests organized annually by NBA on the so called 'All-Star Weekend'. Among those, there is the 'Slam Dunk Contest'. A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This year's Slam Dunk Contest had the most amazing finale. Last year's winner Dominique Wilkins, who is 203 cm high, lost his title to Spud Webb, who is 168 cm high. With that, Webb became the shortest player ever to win the contest" having said this, Hideo smiled widely "You may think you cannot reach the top branch, Kawai-san, but you'll never know unless you give it a try. Besides, even if you can't reach it, jumping itself is a good exercise and will improve your general health"

It was a wise advice and it seemed to speak to Hikari. Her children could observe the growth of confidence on her face. There was also relief. Hope. Gratefulness. Yes, gratefulness above all.

"Yes. I suppose you are right, Asakura-sensei" Hikari admitted "I should try those private lessons. If you don't mind having such a difficult student like myself"

"Oh, not at all. I'd rather teach a student who is overly self-critical than one that is overly daring. The former may be destructive for the student, but is not dangerous for people around him, unlike the latter"

"So I'm not the worst case around. That's good to hear" Hikari smiled. She was starting to feel really relaxed and cozy around Hideo, and the same could be said about him. His face softened and his eyes sparkled. That was not the kind of look a teacher would give his student. Hideo was now seeing her as a woman. And he obviously liked what he was seeing.

That might have been this moment. The start of something bigger.

Bunji concluded his father was the chivalric type – a man who was attracted to delicate, fragile women, whom he could take care of. No wonder he fell for this particular woman. They fit each other.

But Hikari's good mood suddenly vanished. She understood what was going on and couldn't allow it much longer.

"I'm sorry" she said, standing up "I should really put those carrimats away…"

"We may still need one" "Hideo suggested as he stood up himself "I am free now, so I could give you your first private lesson"

He was hitting on her and it was making her nervous.

"That will have to wait till next week, Asakura-sensei" she said apologetically, fighting to keep her body composed "I really must hurry. I have to take care of my baby…"

"Your baby?" Hideo's eyes winded.

The woman covered her mouth with her hand.

The children felt their hearts stopped.

So he did know.

Hikari went even more pale than she usually was. She was frightened. Frightened of the words she just said. Of what her teacher will think of her. Of how much the upcoming minutes would burden her future.

Hideo summoned all his inner discipline to help him get a grip of himself.

"I'm sorry" he said "I didn't mean to be impolite. You are not wearing a wedding ring, so I assumed… I'm sorry"

"I'm not married" Hikari said and instantly regretted it. Why did she tell him that? What will he think of her now? Not only she had a baby, but a baby out of wedlock. Her teacher, this kind man who really believed in her and liked her the way she was, was now looking at her with such shock. She failed. She was not what he imagined her to be. She had disappointed yet another person dear to her.

She could not stand it anymore.

"I'm a governess" she said.

A governess?

Bunji and Kari froze. Did she really say what they have just hear?

"A governess?" Hideo asked, intrigued.

"Yes, a governess" Hikari admitted eagerly "I live with my employer's family and look after his baby. I don't get that much free time because of it. That's why I can't stay for our private lesson today, but next week I will have informed my employer in advance, so it will be fine"

"You disgusting bitch!" Kari yelled in fury "What kind of a mother forsakes her child so easily?"

"Nee-san, calm down" Bunji confronted her "They can't hear you anyway"

Unlike the two siblings, Hideo seemed relieved to hear his student's explanation.

"I see" he said "I am really sorry, Kawai-san, I meant no offence"

"None taken" the woman assured "I understand you will be available next week after your regular classes, Asakura-sensei?"

"She's hitting on him!" Kari revolted "She told him a lie and now she's hitting on him, for crying out loud!"

Bunji could not find words to express his amazement. His mother's behavior in this moment was so much different than everything they've seen before. He couldn't believe she could've come up with such a lie and that his father actually believed her. It took one look at her face to realize that she was making it up as she spoke. Surely a martial arts master had the capacity to notice the truth expressed in his student's body language. He must have noticed her blush and sweat, not to mention those hand movements. Yet, he didn't question her statements. He believed everything she said.

Bunji remembered how difficult it was for him to focus on fighting when his family was in danger. His sister's scream was enough to make him lose focus. The fear for his teammates' safety was a burden that could seal his fate in battle. The fear that increased rapidly when his girlfriend and his siblings' partners joined the squad. The thought of his beloved Momo having to face all the dangers he had encountered himself was unbearable. Knowing she was a much better martial artist than him didn't help much. The voice of his reason was drowned out by the roars of his heart. That's why the entire team had to undergo psychological training, in order to be able to endure this pressure.

The point is that Bunji could understand his father. Hideo might have realized Hikari was not entirely sincere, but he didn't want to investigate it any further. For once, his heart gained advantage over his brain.

The teacher and the student have agreed to meet for private lessons twice a week, after Hideo's regular classes. Both were delighted at the perspective and were looking forward to it. Hideo tried to mention he'll have to charge Hikari extra for private lessons, but she claimed it was okay.

"Of course you can afford it, you whore!" Kari said sarcastically "If only my father knew you were spending the money he gave you on an affair…!"

"Shhh!" Bunji covered her mouth with his hand. He didn't want to miss the interaction of his parents.

Since everything has been settled, Hikari decided she has to clean the place up at last.

"It's alright, Kawai-san, I'll do it for you" Hideo offered "We have already kept your baby waiting for quite a long time. Your employer may get angry if you're this late"

"Right. Thank you very much, Asakura-sensei"

"You're welcome, Kawai-san"

And so Hikari hurried out of the room. Bunji and Kari followed her into the changing room. There the woman sat down on a bench and covered her mouth with her hand. The first wave of anxiety went through her body. Then another and yet another, each stronger than the preceding one. Her eyes winded and the blood escaped from her face again.

She has just realized what cruel a lie she told.

So she did regret it.

Struggling to maintain a grip of herself, she moved her other hand to her heart. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and she bent into halves, trying to overcome the convulsions. Without a success, as she threw up on the floor in front of her.

She couldn't believe herself. She refused to accept the deed and whatever consequences it may breed.

She was as frightened as ever.

"I'm so sorry, Pika-chan" she whispered "I'm so sorry" she cried and forced herself to stand up. She opened the nearest locker, grabbed the bag that was inside and ran outside, without even changing to her normal clothes.

XXX

* * *

There was silence. But it didn't last long.

"A governess" Kari said, in a terrifyingly calm manner "She told him she was a governess"

"And he believed her" added Bunji. Like his sister, he seemed calm. Not because he accepted that vision. He just couldn't find the right words to express what he was feeling.

For all this time, he had defended their mother. He erupted whenever Kari called her "bitch". He sincerely believed that such a kind, gentle person could not harm anybody intentionally. That everything that happened was Tsutomu's fault.

But now he knew his sweet mother's guilt was undeniable. She deceived his father, who was her teacher. She deceived Tsutomu, who was her lover and the father of her daughter. She denied having a daughter.

Bunji felt like an idiot for defending such a traitorous bitch.

A traitorous bitch who had tears in her eyes.

It didn't change anything. She might've regretted her actions, but didn't do anything to make up for them. She never told Tsutomu she cheated on him. She never told Hideo she had another man and a child. She deceived them all until the very end.

Or maybe?

Bunji looked at Kari. She was looking at him as well. With a face that was saying "I am not satisfied yet".

"Let's investigate this further" she said "Her relationship with your father was more complex than with mine. There must be something else. I know there is"

Bunji hesitated. Kari seemed so sure about this. Would she really risk getting hurt more than she already was?

"Nee-san, we might stumble across something far worse than that letter our mother left you. Are you prepared for this?" he asked. The determination in his sister's eyes left no doubt.

"I have always known the Bitch forsook me. All there is left to discover is why she did. She won't ruin my life more than she already has, so let's just finish what we started. Together"

Throughout the speech her face was stern. Like a stone, but a one with fire inside.

Bunji clenched his fists and nodded. It is not over until it is over – that's what his father used to say.

"Bring it on" the boy let his mind join his sister's, ready for whatever the new vision may bring.

….

* * *

Author's Notes: Based on my own experience (well, partly). I remembered I did attend karate classes at some point (I was 9 or so) – I quit after 3 or so classes cause the teacher was an A-Hole.

Spud Webb won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1986 – the year when Kari was born according to my B6-verse. I assume Hideo could know about it if he was at least remotely interested in sports (I've learned that accidentally ^_^).

I'm keeping Bunji paired up with Momo (a canon character) since their relationship it's essential for my next story.

"Pika" is a diminutive from "Hikari". But Kari uses "Kari", since "Pika" is too babyish for her.


End file.
